Page:CooperBull1(4).djvu/8

BULLETIN OF THE COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. birds do not have a note of alarm nor do they sho?v any signs of breeding, and unless you see them carrying build- ing material one might as well give tip watching them for they could keep you busy all day doing nothing else. The birds are constantly on the jump, ap- parently catching insects. Even when flushed from the nest they will hop a- bout in their usual unconcerned man- ner. Many nests are placed in the dense thickets of scrub oak which a- bound in this section. They are placed in the forks of the larger limbs quite often within reach of the ground, while other nests are placed high up in pines. The nests are very compact, of a deep cup shape, much like those of the Yel- low Warbler. The nesting material var- ies according to the locality. PAINTED One of the prettiest of all our war- blers. The nmrkings of red, white and black are very clear and the birds seem to take great pride in sho?ving off their colors. With their wings partly open and tail spread they may be seen hop- ping about on mossy banks or stumps of large trees, generally in the vicinity of a spring or waterfall; now and then they will fly up to catch some insect. nmch after the manner of the flycatch- er. Breeding commences early in April and lasts until June. I found two nests just completed on April ii, i897 in the Santa Catalina Mountains, near Tucson, Ariz., and also found a set of fresh eggs on June x, x896 in the Huachuca Mts. The nests are usually placed on slop- RED-FACED These birds are quite common in the mountains of Southern Arizona, espec- ially during the spring migration. I have seen as many as four or five feed- ing in one tree. They become scarcer as the season advances and at the time of breeding comparatively few of them remain. The nests are placed on the ground under a bunch of grass or near a fallen log, where leaves have driftsed. It would be impossible to find them ?vithout watching the birds and even then one must be very quiet and keep out of sight as nmch as possible, for the birds seem to realize the danger of go- From a nest found May 20, I896. I secured a fine set of four fresh eggs. This nest xvas placed in an oak sapling, in an upright fork about ten feet from the ground. I visited two other nests the same day. These were placed in similar situations. I had found the birds building these some time before and expected to procure a fine set of eggs from each, but to my disappoint- ment both nests had been destroyed, the work, undoubtedly, of Arizona Jays. I found other nests, some placed in large white oaks and some in sycamores and have known the birds to build high up in pines. The eggs are dull white, speckled and blotched with grayish- brown. There is great variation in the color and size, even in eggs of the same set. REDSTART. ing ground under a projecting rock or bunch of grass and, as a rule, in the vicinity of a spring or waterfall where there is a rank growth of ferns or grass. These nests are loosely constructed as a rule but sometimes are quite compact and are composed of fine straws, veg- etable fibres and leaves, with a lining of fine grass and hair. The nests I found were between 5000 and 8000 feet elevation. The eggs are more nearly oval in shape than most other warblers' and are slightly larger than the aver- age. They are pure white, speckled with markings of cinnamon and laven- der over the entire shell, but more heavily at the larger end, sometimes forming a wreath. WARBLER. ing to the nest. I found my first nest on May ?8, ?896 at an elevation of about 7000 feet. It was placed on a side hill under a tuft of grass. The composition was mostly of fine straws with a few leaves for lin- ing. This nest contained four perfectly fresh eggs, pure white in color, nmrked with fine specks and blotches over the entire shell, and more thickly at the larger end. There is quite a variation in the eggs, both in size and marking. The other nests I examined were placed in similar situations and the full sets were invariably of four eggs each.