Jan., 1901 I 
THE CONDOR 
9 
Nesting Habits of the California Shrike 
Lanins bidovicianns gainbeli Ridgw. 
BY \VM. L. 
T he California Shrike is an abund- 
ant resident in Santa Clara, Co., 
Cal. where it may be seen at al- 
most any time by an observdng person, 
perched upon a telegraph pole or the 
top of some tall tree where it may have 
a good view of the surrotrnding country. 
A grain field containing several large 
white-oak or live-oak trees is a favorite 
locality of this bird, and once a pair has 
selected a location of this kind, nothing 
short of death will cause them to leave 
it. A cypress or osage orange hedge is 
a favored spot for a nest as .is also a 
scrub willow in a grain field or at the 
roadside. 
Nest building is commenced as soon 
as the weather moderates in the spring 
— some years earlier than others. My 
record for my first set of shrikes’ eggs 
for the past six years is as follows; 
1895, Feb. 26, six fresh eggs. 
1896, Mar. 19, six fresh eggs. 
1897, Apl. I, seven fresh eggs. 
1898, Mar. 9, six fresh eggs. 
1899, Apl. TO, six fresh eggs. 
1900, Mar. 5, six fresh eggs. 
The latest date at which I have taken 
eggs is June 17. I believe that when 
unmolested the shrike raises at least 
three broods in a season. If the nest is 
robbed the birds will inmiediately start 
another one, near to and .sometimes 
right upun the site of the old nest and 
in a very short time it will contain a set 
of eggs. 
In 1894 I took one set of seven eggs, 
two of six each, one of five and a small 
boy got another of four eggs, — all from a 
pair of shrikes which had selected an 
eighty-acre field near my residence for 
their home. This field contained four 
white oak trees and one live-oak, and 
when one nest was collected from them 
they would immediately repair to the 
next tree and build again. In this way^ 
twenty-?ig!it eggs were taken from 
.\TI^INSON 
them, but undaunted they began again 
and in admiration for their perseverance 
I left them to build their sixth nest and 
hatch their eggs in peace. The next 
year they were on hand as usual and 
have ever since been yielding two or 
three sets yearly to swell the writer’s 
collection. 
The following is a fair record for one 
pair of birds for four years, — 
1895, Feb. 26. Six fresh eggs. 
Mar. 27. Seven eggs. Incubation 
advanced. 
Apl. 27. Six eggs. Incubation 
begun. 
1896, Mar. 19. Six eggs. Fresh. 
Aj)!. 3. Five eggs. Incubation 
begun. 
Apl. 18. Six eggs. Fresh. 
May 4. Five eggs. Incubation 
.slight. 
1897. Apl. I. Seven fresh eggs. 
1898. Mar. 16. Six fresh eggs. 
A total of nine sets or fifty-four eggs. 
I could have taken at least one or two 
more sets in both 1897 ^nd 1898 had I 
desired to do .so — and during the same 
length of time the “small boy’’ got sev- 
eral sets, so it can be easily seen that 
the shrike is in no danger of extermina- 
tion. I know that these eggs were all 
laid by the same pair of birds because 
they nested within an eighth of a mile 
of my residence, so that I was in a 
position to watch them both in the 
winter and summer. The eggs of this 
bird all show a great resemblance, as I 
have before noted (Condor i, 29), 
which helps to prove the theory of in- 
dividuality of eggs and also that they 
were all deposited by the same bird. 
This year, 1900, I had quite an inter- 
esting experience with the shrike. On 
the 5th of March I was out collecting 
some specimens for skins, and while 
driving along a country road I noticed a 
sLi .picious looking “bunch” ten feet up 
