166 THE CONDOR Vol. XXIV 
the tree, or by an angle of branches. In one case the whole nest lay along a 
drooping branch so that the entrance was at the same height as the bottom 
of the globe instead of three inches above, as commonly. Here, as if to pre- 
serve the integrity of the nest chamber, it was high arched, the deepest part 
measuring seven inches. In some cases for structural or other reasons the en- 
trance was much lower or higher than typical, varying from almost level to 
four, five, and seven inches above the base of the retort. In one unusually 
large nest, evidently generations old, fresh material piled on lavishly kept the 
entrance high above the old sagged base. 
An extreme instance of the tendency to utilize the mass of material al- 
ready gathered in an old nest rather than to gather new material to build from 
the foundations up was shown in a nest that was being completed when we 
left. The old weathered remnant which was flattened down and drawn out 
horizontally was taken as roofing for the new nest although the nearest sup- 
port for a base was about ten inches below the roof. To partly fill the gap 
the hghter material of the entrance of the old nest was pulled down. Whether 
the resulting structure satisfied the builders or not, we left too early to tell. 
While the entrance of the old nest had faced northwest, that of the new one 
faced southeast. In another peculiar remodelled nest the old one was a cup 
with the entrance on top. A few fresh straws were found here on January 30 
but on February 22 there were no further signs of work or of use. 
An inferior nest supported poorly except at the back and exposed on top 
was beginning to break down and stood all winter unrepaired and unused. 
Another inferior nest had the entrance so poorly supported that it was blown 
apart and had caved into the twigs several inches below. In still another the 
bulky globe protruded conspicuously and a slab was eracking off the back. 
A high nest, at the tip of a long branch about nine feet above the ground, 
stood with big gaping mouth and dangling straws, suggesting the visit of an 
owl; while an unusually low nest, within easy reach of ranging horses and 
cattle, had one of its supporting twigs broken off, the nest material being 
strewn over the branches for nine inches. 
NEST MATERIAL 
The material of this low, ruined nest, when examined by Mr. Gorm Loft- 
field. one of the Carnegie botanists conducting experiments on the neighboring 
U.S. Range Reserve, was found to contain eighteen species of plants, as fol- 
lows: 
Pectocarya Hosackia trisperma 
Allocarya Acacia constricta 
Franseria tenuifolia Acacia greggii 
Plantago ignota Prosopis j. velutina 
Gilia aurea Portulaca 
Phacelia distans Muhlenbergia porteri 
Hriogonum polycladon Heteropogon contortus (young plant) 
Hriogonum abertianum Scleropogon brevifolius 
Lupinus parviflorus Aristida bromoides 
Another nest examined by Mr. Bailey had a long Plantago stem sticking 
out in front and others attached to the body of the nest, and included several 
species of long-stemmed grass, krinitzkias, and wild mustard. Feathers of 
Road-runner and Sparrow Hawk were found on the outside, and downy feath- 
