210 Notes on the Breeding of a few Western Birds. { March, 
in great numbers on the northern slopes of the foot hills, where ° 
in the dark shades of the thick growth of live oak, they found an 
abode well suited to them. The long-eared owl nested in great 
numbers in the oak trees, building a clumsy nest of coarse sticks 
and twigs lined with grasses, and laid from four to six dirty white 
eggs. The barn owl, while it remained in these thickets during 
the day, resorted more commonly to the bottom lands to breed, 
where in the hollow trunks and branches of the sycamores, it 
found its favorite resting places. Its eggs, also of a dirty white 
color, are not much larger than those of the long-eared owl, 
although the bird is considerably larger. The little burrowing 
owl (Athene cunicularia) is very abundant, inhabiting the deserted 
holes of the California ground squirrel, with which, as with the 
prairie dog, it seems to live in harmony. They had not yet com- 
menced breeding when I left the vicinity of Los Angeles, or at 
least I found no eggs in the several burrows which I dug up. 
The mottled owl (Scops asio) breeds here, as a friend of mine 
found a set of four eggs, and captured the bird on the nest, but 
the bird keeps close in the hollow trees and can scarcely be scared 
from its retreat or nest, and thus escapes observation. Later, in 
Arizona, I observed several times a very small owl which I was 
unable to identify or procure a specimen of. 
One of the earliest birds to nest in the vicinity of Los Angeles, 
was the white-rumped Shrike (Collyrio excubitoroides). It is 
quite abundant, and owing to the brightness of its plumage, and 
the absence of many of the migratory birds which had not yet re- 
turned from the South, is very noticeable. I found quite a 
number of nests of this bird, all placed in low trees or bushes, 
and compactly built of small sticks and grasses, and lined thickly 
with the pappus from the Baccharis, a species of Composite. The 
eggs are very similar to those of other shrikes and are well known. 
Another early breeder is the California jay ( Cyanocitta californica). 
This bird is also numerous and with all the traits of the blue jay, 
is not near as handsome a bird. It builds its nest in a thick tree 
or bush, and while it resembles that of the blue jay, it never has 
mud in its construction. The eggs, varying in number from four 
to five, are very handsome, being of a rich emerald green color. 
and marked with numerous dark brown spots, thicker around 
the larger end. . The California sickle-bill (Harporhynchus redivt- 
vus), a thrush whose liquid melody of song may favorably com- 
