84 THE CONDOR Vol. XXIII 
contained three eggs each, and the other but two. Gordon Nicholson, Luther 
Little and I had equally good success in finding these sets. 
The first set of three measures in millimeters: 22.x17.5, 23.x17.5, and 23.x18. 
The eggs of this set are rather blunt and equal ended. The ground color is dull 
glaucous blue, one rather heavily clouded with chestnut, one less so, and the third 
one still less; each egg more heavily marked on the larger end. Each egg is only 
slightly glossy. The second set of three measures: 22.x17.5, 21.x17., 22.5x18. 
The ground color in these eggs is also dull glaucous blue. Two eggs are heavily 
clouded with russet all over, only shghtly more so on larger end; the other egg 
is evenly clouded but to a lesser degree. These eggs are also rather blunt and 
equal ended, with only a slight gloss. The two eggs of the third set are of the 
long type, being much more pointed on the little end than are any eggs of the 
other sets. Their ground color is pale duil glaucous blue, uniformly marked 
with fine spots and flecks of closely blended vinaceous russet and light purplish 
gray, so as to almost obscure the ground tint. They measure 22.5x15., 23.x15.5._ 
These eggs exhibit no gloss. The birds of each of these three nests sat very close, 
and the two nests that were on the ground were extremely difficult to locate. 
A week at Big Bear later in the season gave us one nest, also with three 
egos. This was the hardest nest to locate, I believe, that I ever went after, as it 
was on the ground under a tangle of buekthorn. Even after the bird flushed 
right under my feet, I did not find the nest until I had carefully hunted for 
about thirty minutes, although it was in 2 comparatively small patch of buck- 
thorn. These eggs were fresh and were found June 6. They smeasure: 23.5x18., 
23.0X17.5, and 21.5x17.5. In color they are pale dull glaucous blue, marbled all 
over with chestnut. The markings are almost clouded on the larger end of 
two of them, while the third is much less heavily marked. These eggs are also 
blunt and nearly equal ended, and have a very slight gloss. 
The only other nest that we found with eggs, and these on the point of 
hatching, was also at Big Bear. This nest was in plain view; in fact I saw tt 
when over thirty yards away. It was in an opening in the center of a broken 
bush of buckthorn on a side-hill. ‘This bird was very obliging and it was here 
that I obtained the photographs that illustrate this article. Possibly her inusual 
tameness was due to the heavy incubation of the eggs. 
The nests are all very similar, so that one description will do for all we 
found. In-size they average, outside depth, 4.5 inches; inside depth, 1.75; oui: 
side diameter, 6; inside, 3. Nests are composed of coarse sticks and pine needles, 
with some fine twigs and weed bark, lined with grass, weed bark, and, at times, 
mammal fur. The nests on the ground were usually less well made, with more 
pine needles and leaves, rather than coarse sticks. 
To sum up, it will be noted that the eggs we found, with the exception of 
one set, show only slight variation in size and shape. They are somewhat sim- 
ilar in markings. However, I have seen enough sets to say that a large series would 
undoubtedly show considerable variation in coloration, but I do not think that 
there would be much variation in general shape and ground color. The birds 
nest, so far as we have found, either on the ground or up in buckthorn bushes. 
1 believe they build more often on the ground, where the nests are very hard to 
locate, especially, if they are placed under a thick mat of tangled buckthorn. At 
times they seem to choose the most open sort of location. They just seem to be 
where they are! My experience indicates that the birds are very close sitters, 
and three seems to be the usual clutch of eggs. 
