AND OOLOGIST 
19 
May, 1881.] 
out of the reach of man. Some distance 
from the shore there are a number of islets 
from a few yards to several hundred in ex¬ 
tent. These islets were literally alive with 
G. pencillatus, the rocks being black with 
them and at a distance of nearly a mile the 
stench from the accumulation of filth was 
almost unbearable. These islets are also 
inaccessible, as their sides are smooth and 
almost perpendicular, even with a boat 
nothing could be done, not even a foot¬ 
hold gained to reach the coveted eggs so 
temptingly displayed to view. In places I 
could lean over the rocks and look into fif¬ 
teen or twenty nests at a time, not over 
ten or fifteen feet distant, some with eggs, 
some with young, and some with the old 
birds incubating. Birds were continually 
going out to sea, and returning probably 
in search of food, several of the M. cirr- 
hata had fish in their beaks eight or ten 
inches long wliich resembled the smelt. I 
was not able to reach the nests of these 
birds as they were among the rocks on the 
land. The holes were so deep and crooked 
I could not reach them with my hand. 
The pretty red legged U. colnmba were 
continually in motion. Some came in 
from the sea with weeds and kelp 
with which to build their nests, and out 
they would go in a few minutes with a 
weak whistling cry. Occasionally a flock 
of Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus fusms, 
would come sailing by, but where they 
bred I could not tell as I never saw their 
nests or eggs on the coast. Next season I 
intend to make another trip to this region 
but can assure the readers of the Oologist 
it is anything but a pleasure, as it is a 
loiiusome, foggy, out of the way place, and 
a Collector’s life is continually in jeopardy 
while he is on the cliffs, a single misstep 
will fetch him into an abyss from which 
there is no escape. This is only one 
of the many dangers a collector is exposed 
to if he is located on the borders of civ¬ 
ilization and soon becomes used to scenes 
which at first he would view with a feeling 
of horror. C. A. Allen, Nicasio, Cal. 
Least Titmouse. 
ITS NESTING HABITS IN CALIFORNIA. 
On the 15th of April, 1880, I found a 
nest of the Least Titmouse {Psaltriparus 
minimus) that is of remarkable length. 
The following are its measurements: 
length, 21 inches; diameter near upper 
end, 1^ inches; diameter a foot from top 
its greatest size, 3 inches; diameter near 
lower end, 2^ inches ; distance of entrance 
from top, 5^ inches; depth of cavity, 7 
inches ; diameter of entrance, | inch. 
No other nest found exceeded 9 inches 
in length, and in every one the entrance 
was in the top or nearly so. This nest is 
composed of fine vegetable cotton, great 
quantities of the pappus of compound 
flowers, minute bits of lichens, among 
which are woven long strips of grass-blades, 
fine fibrous roots, and the tough inner 
bark of weeds. Both the upper and lower 
portions of the nest are not so solidly 
made as is the middle portion. The nest 
was hung upon a small limb of a live-oak, 
about eight feet from the ground, and im¬ 
mediately over an irrigating ditch. There 
were seven eggs in the nest, incubation 
well begun. 
The Least Titmouse is an abundant win¬ 
ter resident of this county (Ventura) and 
may be seen in flocks of five to thirty flying 
from sage-bush to sage-bush and feeding 
among their branches. In summer I do 
not think they are so abundant, yet many 
remain to breed, choosing as their favorite 
places in which to hang their long, beauti¬ 
ful pensile nests a bunch of mistletoe or 
the thick foliage of a live-oak. Nests 
have been found in sage and greasewood 
bushes, and one in a bunch of cactus. My 
observations of a number of nests and their 
sets of eggs enables me to verify Dr. Coues’ 
remark, viz; “That the nest is usually as 
many inches long as there are eggs in the 
full set.” My twenty-one inch nest being 
the only exception among a dozen observed. 
All others I have are from six to nine inches 
long, and contained from six to nine eggs. 
B. W. Evermann, Santa Paula, Gala. 
