THE CONDOR Voi.. V FROM FIELD AND STUDY
he Home of the California Road-rU.lner.--On March 25th, I9O$, one of the boys, a
student in my Commercial School, told me of a road-runner's nest in Cholla Valley, and after school hours we started out to take a picture of the nest and to take the eggs. After a walk of about two in diameter. diameter. miles we arrived at the rustic abode, and found Mrs. Geo- coccyx Californianus at home, but she was somewhat shy and did not wish to have her picture taken, so we had to be satisfied with one of her nest and eggs, which are shown in the accompanying illustration. The nest was a rather com- pact one, made of small weeds and twigs, carefully laid and woveu among the branches of the "cholla" or "devil cactus" so common in Southern California. The outside diameter was about eleven inches, while the saucer shaped interior was about one and one-half in- ches in depth and ?ix inches The eggs, four in number, aud nearly white, measured 41 min. in length by .30 nun. in This wise little bird has a strange habit of building among the protecting thorns of the devil YOUNG cactus, among whose thousand sharp points the old bird runs with apparent impunity, while the bristling spines keep out many an enemy and many an inquisitive visitor. In fact the thorny beds of cactus seem to be the favorite resort of the road-runner, and in the spring she may often
