dead pine and, perching in one place, began to call the female. I heard her answer with a note like the squeak of a mouse but could not tell from what direction it was coming. After ten minutes of this he suddenly became silent and flew over several trees into a short-leaf pine whose branches were weighted down with masses of twigs and cones. I could not see where he entered but presently he flew from a clump on one of the lower branches. All excitement I climbed the tree with my rope and after some maneuvering was able to reach and investigate the clump but found no nest tho I cut off the twigs one by one to make sure. This was very tiresome work but I felt sure the nest was in that tree so descended and hid under a tree near by. Soon the female began to call again. Then the male came and fed her and I saw him go. Climbing up once more I searcht another bunch, found
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nothing, and came down to wait again. Not to drag the tale out further, it was not until three o'clock, and a large part of the tree lay on the ground that I spied a blade of grass about three feet above me, and on pushing my hand thru the thick cluster of twigs flusht the female. The tree was not a very large one and I had shaken every branch and jarred them with my foot, but until I practically toucht the nest she had stayed on. Incubation was fresh. As this was my first set since 1899 I was much elated and forgot in a jiffy my tired muscles. After packing the eggs I cut off and lowered the entire cluster in which the nest was hidden. It must have weighed all of seventy-five pounds and formed a green ball about three and one-half feet in diameter. The nest was invisible except when the twigs were parted. The female hopt about within a few inches of my hands as I removed the eggs, uttering one of her characteristic notes very softly.
