This page needs to be proofread.

48 THE CONDOR Vol. XIII a completed nest. She flew as I entered the room. I secured a ladder and soon held the nest and two fresh eggs in nay hand. Some children were occupying this room so I did not dare leave the nest for further notes. I put another wire up, however, to furnish another nesting site. June 21, the nest where the young one had been seemed to be receiving addi- tions, and the sides were somewhat built up, but I could not see the birds around. June 25 the nest contained one egg and the next morning there were two. A vis- itor told me that it was liable to be taken by some small boys who were there, so again I was afraid to leave it for observation and collected the nest and set, first taking a picture of it, showing the eggs. The parent birds seem to be very shy for hummingbirds, particularly around the nest. Unless I was entirely hidden, neither Fig. 21. ou,'?G OF BLUE-T[-IROA'I?ED HU.VI,VI[NGBIRI), MAY 29, 1910 with a small amount of plant down intermixed. one would come near, though I conld hear the tell-tale squeak first from one point and then from another of the nearby trees and bushes. There is a small stream which flows through the ranch, and it is crossed by a small foot bridge overlhimg by a willow and a sy- camore. This was a favorite hunting ground of the Blue- throats. Abdut the last bird note heard at night and the first in the morning was the squeak of this hummer coming from this point in the garden. The long diameter of the eggg is about the same as in those of the Rivoli but the short diameter is a little greater. This may be an individual characteristic of the pair whose nests I took. How- ever, the birds themselves are stouter bodied than the Rivoli and it is natural to expect their eggs to be larger. The nest is made largely of oak blossom hulls, and stems of the same, The whole is well tied together with cobwebs. The nest cavity is shallow and the edges are not incurved, differ- ing in both these respects from the nests of the other hummingbirds with which I am familiar. The place where I hear the other pair is near no house and I am anxious to locate the nest and learn what the natural nesting site is, man not furnishing a conven- ient substitute. Many hours of patient watching have failed to reveal it yet, but I live in hopes.