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THE CONDOR ] Vol. II the folh)wing afternoon, May 3x, found me back in the pasture where I had taken my second set. After ranrifling about until 6 P.M., having encountered a shower in the meantime, as [ was making a final round before starting homeward, I noticed that a curlew gave evidence of a nest in the neighborhood. It.took roe about an hour to locate it, but by "trekking" in the direction in- dicated by my signs, I found the female ensconced on her nest in the lower por- tion of the meadow, among grass grow- inghigher than her back. Shesat un- til I could touch her with my stick as in the preceding instauce, and then fluttered from her four eggs. The nest was similar to those described, being mostly built upon the'ground, though the site was a slight depression, and be- sides a pile of dried cow manure. These eggs were heavily incubated, .and were much smaller ?han any before found, averaging about 2.42 in length by ?.82 in breadth. Their ground is the light greenish olive pattern, blotched more about the 'large end, three of them showing scrawling blotches of black upon the large end. It will be seen that the eggs of Numcnius lon.?'iroslris shmv decided var- iation in color of ?narkings, and I know ofuoother eggs presenting a hand- sonmr appearance in the collector's cab- inet. The books report that sets con- sist of 3-4 eggs, but it does not appear to me than a full first set can contain less than four eggs. There are many other interesting facts in the history of the l,ong-billed Curlews, but as this article has more than exceeded the space desired by a patient editor, the future shall have to care for the further interests of niux Io?(ffirosD'is. The Little Wi10w A True Chapter in the Life History of a Pair of Moekingbird,q B'U 2?IOLLIE BRYAN, ORAN(';E? CAL. URING the summer of '96 a pair of Mockingl)irds nested in a big pine on the lawn, rearing their young mnong the shrubbery 0f the garden, levying on the fruit from the orchard close by, as part payment f(?r the beautiful nmsic daily reudered by the head of the house. Vhen not 1)usy with family cares, our singer de- cided, in return for the rent of his home, to snperintend affairs of the ranch, at least in so far as to say who should or who should not come within our garden gate. Being of rather a pugnacious disposi- tiou he made it very manifest who were his favorites. He had an especial spite for a beatttiful black and white cat, "Tom," that daily followed my uncle, who lived near, as a dog would. He always escorted Tom half way home scolding and darting at him with great vigor, while Tom rolled on his back, with all. filur feet in the air, to ward off the sharp pecks of the.bird, but appar- ently enjoying each encounter. My uncle, becoming tired of having Tom thus persecuted whenever he chose to visit his ueighbors, took his gun and put an end to it. The first I knew of the death of our songster, I missed his morning song, and later in the day my attentiou was attracted by the female as she flew about the yard and garden, apparently searching for somethingsand Tom came and went unmolested. On in- quiry [ learned what, to me, was a trag- edy, for all (lay the poor little mate went from one tree to another, in an(1 out of the 'bushes, watching sharply each person that passed from the house, constantly uttering a peculiar, mourn- fut,--we could almost imagine accusing --cry, which enlisted our sympathies. AIt sunnuer the "little widow," as we