198 Brewster on a Collection of Arizona Birds. 
from the stalks of herbaceous plants, with a few twigs and whole 
stems supporting the outside, and a scanty lining of horse-hair. 
Its external diameter is about five inches ; its depth two. The 
cavity is two inches wide and one and a half deep. Both nest 
and eggs differ somewhat from California examples of crissalis 
in my collection, the eggs being smaller and whiter, the nest softer 
and more compact. 
1 77, $ ad., Tombstone, April 7. Length, 8.80 ; extent, 11.60. •• Iris 
light brown.” 
186, $ ad., Tombstone, April 9. Length, 8.10; extent. 10.90; wing 
3.50; tail, 4.15. 
416, $ ad., Santa Rita Mountains. May 20. Length, 8.50; extent, 11.50; 
wing, 3.73; tail, 4.45. 
81. Pipilo aberti Baird. Abert’s Towhee. — 4 T have 
found this species common along the Colorado and Gila Rivers*, 
and I took several on the San Pedro in December, 1880. 
They appear t to be restricted to the vicinity of streams and 
usually to thick brush, although they frequent trees more than 
most of the members of this genus. I have seen them hunting- 
insects in the bark of large trees in a manner similar to that of 
Wrens. They are rather shy. The usual note is a sharp chirp. 
The song is difficult to describe ; it is rapid and near the middle 
rises to a higher key, quickly falling again and ending on the 
initial note. The nest is rather bulky ; it is sometimes built in 
bushes near the ground, and again in trees. I found one in a 
bunch of mistletoe at a height of at least thirty feet.” 
A nest found May 28, at Tucson, was built on the top of a 
mesquite stump, where it was kept in place by the surrounding- 
sprouts. It contained three’ fresh eggs which measure respect- 
ively .91 X *72, .92X.7 2 , and .90X - 7 1 • They are elliptical in 
shape, and in the character and distribution of their markings they 
resemble the above described eggs of P. mesoleucus from which, 
however, they differ in having a faint but decided bluish cast. 
The nest is large and loosely built. It is composed mainly of 
broad strips or ribbons of bark with which are mingled small, 
pliant twigs and the green stems and leaves of the mesquite ( ?) . 
The whole structure is homogeneous and, strictly speaking, it has 
no lining, but the materials surrounding the cavity are rather 
softer than the rest, while they are arranged with some regard to 
smoothness. The external diameter of this nest is about seven 
inches ; its depth three. The cavity is three inches wide and two 
deep. 
