176 
THE CONDOR 
| Vol. VII 
was sitting high in a neighboring tree, near the end of a horizontal branch, sing- 
ing his “preet, preet, preet, preet, — ooree, ooree, ooree,” but the female was not 
seen during the half hour I watched while he sat in the one place and sang. I 
could not understand the situation, but later it became clear to me. 
On July 26 we investigated the status of affairs at the crossbill’s nest. It was 
exactly 100 feet from the ground, about five feet from the main trunk; but the sup- 
posed nest was only a collection of small twigs. It was really a “dummy, "on which 
the birds had worked very faithfully for a time. For a while I was puzzled; then 
it occurred to me that the real nest must be somewhere near the place where the 
male had sat so long and sung on the former occasion. I turned my attention to 
the place, and presently the male came to the place, hopped carelessly along the 
branch, to a suspicious-looking tuft of small twigs, and then passed farther along 
the branch. Then I could see the nest, and could even see the female sitting there. 
On July 27 the real nest was taken. It was sixty-five feet from the ground, 
among twigs ten feet from the main stem of the tall tamarack tree which contained 
it. It was taken by tying a long rope about twenty feet above the nest, and then 
swinging it out on the ground until the collector could swing alongside the nest. 
It contained four eggs, on which the female sat until shaken from her cosy home. 
The nest was made externally of dry tamarack twigs, with fine dry grass stems, 
dark brown lichens, and horsehair. The cavity measured three inches and two 
and one-half inches major and minor axes, and was one and three-fourths inches 
deep. The base of the nest was a mass of bark strippings and gossamer. When 
blown, two of the eggs were found to be in an advanced state of incubation, the 
other two showed only traces of incubation. The female came near the collector 
several times, and once or twice sat by the side of the nest while the eggs were be- 
ing packed. Later she was taken with the nest. The male did not come near 
while the collectors were at work. 
In this connection I wish also to record the occurrence of the white-winged 
crossbill ( Loxia leucoptera) in this region in summer. On one occasion I saw a 
beautiful male at Swan Lake, with a troop of American crossbills, bathing at the 
water’s edge, under circumstances where there could be no mistake, though I 
did not collect it. Later I saw a female at Lake MacDonald, near Belton, when 
there could be no mistake in identification. It is my opinion that the crossbill 
breeds in numbers in this region, an opinion warranted on observations extending 
over six years, though I have never taken a nest until this season; and contrary to 
the general data as given in the books, the height of the breeding season in this 
region is the mid-summer. 
Lewistown , Montana. 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
Discovery of a Second Egg of the Black Swift. — On June 16, 1901, I took an egg of 
the black swift (Cyfiseloides niger borealis) and recorded it in The Auk , XVIII, 394. The au- 
thenticity of this egg was questioned by many, and altho I was positive myself, since I had no 
proof I had to be contented in knowing that I was right. I therefore resolved that if ever good 
fortune favored me again I would secure sufficient evidence to convince the most skeptical. Con- 
sequently 1 have been on the watch ever since, but not until July 9th of the present year, 1905, 
diil 1 receive my reward by discovering the second egg or set, the circumstances being identical 
with those of 1901; that is, the birds were flying around in the vicinity of the nesting site, some- 
times nearby and again a mile or two away. 
