Regulus calendula {Linn."} Lickt.—'V\\& Kinglets offer a remarkable 

 illustration of the fact that a bird may bs very common, and yet its eggs 

 remain for years among the greatest desiderata of oologists. So far as 

 I am aware, but four nests of the Ruby-crown have been found up to the 

 present time, and all were found in Colorado.* A fifth nest was found by 

 me on the i8th of June at an elevation of 7,700 feet. It was in a tir tree, 

 about eighteen feet from the ground, and placed directly against the 

 trunk, supported by a single branch beneath and by several twigs to which 

 the sides were firmly attached. It is large for the size of the bird, meas- 

 uring externally 3X4, internally i|^X inches. It is a very neat, well- 

 made structure with soft thick walls. With the exception of the lining, 

 which consists of feathers of the Ricliardson's Grouse well woven into 

 the sides and bottom, the whole nest is composed of delicate strips of 

 bark, small pieces of green moss, and fibres of weeds, with a few feathers, 

 spiders' webs and fragments of a wasp's nest, the whole forming a some- 

 what globular mass of soft materials. Of the eggs, which were eight in 

 number, one had apparently just been laid ; the others were somewhat 

 advanced in incubation, but in varying degrees, showing that the femalef 

 had begun to sit soon after laying the first egg. Dissection of the female 

 showed that this was the full complement of eggs. They average .5SX.+3, 

 with scarcely any variation in size, though some are much more pointed at 

 the smaller end than others. It is not easy to give an accurate idea of the 

 color of these eggs by any description. At first sight they appear to be 

 of a uniform dirty cream-color, but a close examination shows that in 

 most of the specimens this color is deeper at the larger end and there 

 forms a faint ring. In six of the eggs there are one or two very fine hair 

 lines at the Iijii-ger end. Other eggs of this species are spotted, a fact which is 

 strongly indicated by the appearance of the set just described. Thus, Dr. 

 Brewer, in speaking of the egg found by Mr. Batty, says "the ground 

 color is a cream-white, and over this are profusely scattered minute dots 

 of brown with a reddish tinge." Mr. Scott describes the eggs he found 

 as "of a dirty white color, faintly spotted all over with light brown, which 

 becomes quite definite at the larger end." The single egg obtained by 

 Mr. Drew is described as " white." It is thus evident that many more sets 

 must be obtained before the prevailing type of egg of the Ruby-crown can 

 be determined. I may add that this species was breeding in considerable 

 numbers, but owing to want of time I only succeeded in finding the nest 

 above described. 



Bull. N.O.O. O.Oot, 1881. p 2. 0 ^ , 



t It may be staled here that the crown of this specimen was plain with the excepti 

 of Mree scarlet feathers. . „, 



s of Regulus calendula. — ^About the 20th of May, 

 our cattle ranches on the White Mountains, Apache 

 ;d a pair of Ruby-crowned Kinglets busily engaged 

 3 from in front of the door of the ranch. These 

 to a clump of tall spruce-fir trees about sixty yards 

 M- some time I could not be certain as to which tree 

 . Finally I noticed that the Kinglets stayed longer 

 than in any of the others, so I climbed it and at last 

 aclump of fir cones near the top of the tree. I did 

 [ knew it could not then contain eggs. Next day I 

 iged to return to the home ranch, thirty-five miles 

 , preparatory to a trip to New Mexico, as we had to 

 [une I, that being the last day I could spare, I rode 

 I the morning to the tree where the nest was, tied 

 tree, and ascended to the nest. It was blowing 

 was so near the top of the tree that taking it became a 

 difficulty. The nest was completely hidden by the 

 hr cones surrounuing it, and was placed about four feet out from the stem 

 of the tree, at the end of a branch, so I ultimately found it necessary to cut 

 oflfthe branch, nest and all. The nest contained five fresh eggs. Cuttmg 

 ofif the extreme end of the branch with the cluster of cones and nest still 

 attached, I descended the tree but unfortunately broke an egg on the way 

 down. Even after I had the nest down upon the ground, it was no easy 

 matter to get the eggs out without breaking them. This, however, I 

 finally succeeded in doing, and packing the eggs in my hat, I started on 

 my long ride home rejoicing. 



The nest, as before stated, was placed in a bunch of cones at the end of 

 a small branch, in a spruce-fir tree, at an altitude of about sixty or seventy 

 feet from the ground. It was semi-pensile, being attached to the branch 

 above and also to the cones all round. Fine moss, lichens, cobwebs, etc., 

 were its chief components, the interior plentifully lined with feathers, 

 chiefly those of the Wild Turkey and Dusky Grouse. The external width 

 of the nest was about 4 inches, internal width about 1.5 inches, depth 

 from 1.5102 inches. On my return from New Mexico I was annoyed to 



find that mice had destroyed the nest, which I had left at the 

 ranch. 



The eggs were of a whitish ground color, very minutely spotted with 

 ■pink or pale red chiefly at the larger end where they formed an indistinct 

 band round the greatest width of the egg. 



The locality where I found this nest is about twenty-two miles west of 

 of Springerville, and at an altitude of about 8500 to 9000 feet 

 i-level, just about where the pines (_Piuus pondet-osa) end and the 

 legin. This species is always to be found among the spruces 

 1 the White Mountains in summer, but I have never been able 

 ither nest although I have searched long and diligently several 



; upper 



the town 

 above se 

 spruces b 

 high up i 

 to find an 



seasons. — John S' 



