Nov., 1909 
SOME SIERRAN NESTS OF THE BREWER BLACKBIRD 
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almost invariably bordering streams, swamps or boggy meadows. This year (1909), 
my fifth season in the region, they were as abundant as ever, and more so than 
usual about Bijou. Here there were half a dozen colonies along the meadows and 
lake shore, with from about ten to thirty pairs in a colony. Altho the altitude is 
high here (6220 feet) the birds nest quite early, and while the majority begin to lay 
about the middle of May, yet, as is usual where birds nest in large numbers, some 
nests were found with fresh eggs as late as early June. 
NEST OF BREWER BLACKBIRD ON PILE AT LAKE TAHOE 
On my arrival at Bijou, on May 25, I noted numerous nests about camp, most 
of which held eggs in an advanced stage of incubation. During the next few weeks 
I examined a great many nests, nearly all being placed in small tamarack pines, 
often mere saplings, from four to fifteen feet up, and but poorly concealed. One 
description will practically answer for all of these: A rather bulky structure of 
rootlets, grasses and weeds with some mud, and lined with horsehair. Five was 
the usual complement of eggs, tho often four or six, and sometimes only three. 
The large number of eggs I examined showed great variation in size, shape and 
