420 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
found common in the same mountains, at the same altitude near Agua Fria Spring 
(Hollister). [At Lake Burford in Rio Arriba County it was fairly common, May 
25 to June 19, 1918 (Wetmore).] On June 24, 1902, one was taken at 8,000 feet 
on the southwestern slope of the Capitan Mountains, though the bulk of the 
species, which was an abundant breeder, was found somewhat lower (Gaut). It 
nested June 25, 1903, on the top of Mesa Yegua, at 7,500 feet (Bailey). [In Santa 
Fe County, where it is common, it nests up to 7,500 feet (Jensen, 1923).) At Fort 
Wingate, July 2-7, 1S92, it was nesting at 7,000 feet (Fisher); Chloride Canyon, 
May 30, 1913, at 7,000 feet; 30 miles west of Chloride, June 5, 1913, 0,500 feet; 
[Chloride, June 14, 1917, at 6,200 feet; 18 miles northeast of Cloudcroft, June 12, 
1917, at about 7,000 feet (Ligon)]. From these altitudes it breeds down to Fort 
Bayard, 6,000 feet (Wilson); Silver City, 5,800 feet (Kellogg); Rio Felix, 5,500 
feet (Ligon); Santa Rosa, 5,000 feet (Bailey); Dog Spring, 4,800 feet (Mearns); 
Deming, 4,300 feet, and Lordsburg, 4,200 feet. The breeding range extends east 
to Montoya (Bailey), and to Roswell (Ligon). The breeding season extends through 
May, June, and July. Eggs were found May 27, 1892, at Dog Spring in Grant 
County and also on June 17 of the same year in the neighboring San Luis Moun¬ 
tains (Mearns). Young were seen just from the nest the last of June, 1905, at 
Fort Wingate (Hollister); and a nest at Ribera, June 26, 1903 (Bailey); while eggs 
have been found as late as the first part of July at Silver City (Marsh). 
During migration the species hardly goes higher in the mountains than the 
upper limit of the breeding range; migrants are most common during August and 
some are still present in September; the last was seen at. Chloride September 8, 
1915 (Ligon); they were fairly common September 15 and 16, 1902, in the Hondo 
Valley near the Capitan Mountains (Hollister); the last was seen at State College 
September 20, 1914 (Merrill); and several were seen September 21-22, 1908, at 
Ojo Caliente (Birdseye); seen along the Red River in Colfax County, September 
24, 1913 (Kalmbach); a small flock near Santa Rosa to October 8, 1902 (Gaut); 
Mesilla October 12, 1913 (Merrill); and the last noted at Gila October 6-12, 1908 
(Goldman). 
In the spring, the returning migrants reached State College April 13, 1913 
(Merrill); and Albuquerque April 14, 1901 (Birtwell). [One was seen April 19, 
1919, at the G. O. S. Ranch about 35 miles northeast of Silver City (Ligon).]— 
W. W. Cooke. 
Nest. —Bulky, of similar materials to that of verticalis, generally saddled well 
out on a horizontal branch of a cottonwood or other tree, 10 to 50 feet from the 
ground. Eggs: Usually 3 or 4, like those of verticalis but not quite so heavily 
spotted. 
Food. —Mainly beetles, wild bees and wasps, stink bugs, moths, caterpillars, 
grasshoppers, crickets, dragon flies, and spiders, and also an unimportant amount 
of fruit. 
General Habits. —The Cassin Kingbird whose white chin, as it 
turns its head, contrasts sharply with its dark gray foreparts, has a 
narrow white tail band marked enough to suggest its relationship to 
the eastern, kingbird. 
A nest we found at Aguanigra in a nut pine was a mass of the highly 
prized wool, mixed with string borrowed from camp, looped around 
the branches and draped over the twigs. 
At Mesilla Park, Professor Merrill found the Cassin less abundant 
than the Arkansas, and rather shy, nesting in seclusion in larger trees. 
