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Jan.. x9o7 NESTING'OF THE PINE SIgKIN IN CALIFORNIA 19 chosen was almost invariably about six or eight feet froin the trunk of the tree and upon the top of a good, stroug, leafy limb. The nests were well built, quite com- pact, and slightly larger than those of the green-backed goldfinch whose nesting the siskins' closely resembles. Nests were constructed of dry roots, grass and leaves from under the cypress trees, and were geuerally,tho uot always, lined with considerable hair. The nests were always of the same material and could be distinguished at sight front nests of the western chipping sparrow, California purple finch, and willow goldfinch, all of which birds were minetimes nesting within a few yards of one another. The nestiug season runs from the second week of April to the first of July. The earliest set taken was on April 10, 1904, and the later was a n?t coutaining one fresh egg on Jnne 10. 1906. This same nest contained two very young birds on June 24, two w?ks later. A siskiu was also s?n carrying grass into a cyprus ,,:. . ? ?. ?-'? TYPICAl, BIESTING SITE O1; PINE SISKIN SAN MATEO COUNTY, CAI,IFORNIA on June 24, and while this seems to point to nesting ou iuto July, such instances are undoubtedly exceptioual. The height of the nestlug period, however, is from April 20 to May 10, and it was between these two dates in both years that the majority of nests were discovered. The average set ?ms to be three eggs, but four is also a common number. Several sets of txx? eggs were taken in advanced stages of incubation, and also two sets of five, but these are rare. The eggs are a pale greeuish blue several shades lighter than eggs of Aslraga- finits, and are marked with chocolate spots aud irregular blotches, with a number of pale lavender blotches which appear to be beneath the stirface of the shell. Eggs vary front very nearly unmarked. to well marked about the larger end and spar- ingly over the whole surface. The average size of all eggs at hand is .63 by .48 inches. San Francisco, CaliJornia.