18 THE CONDOR Vol. XV by, and so it proved, for scarce sixty feet distant, in a small isolated tree, I came upon a bundle of sticks placed at the junction of a large branch, in a somewhat exposed position, and only ten feet from the ground. As the tree was on low ground I could almost see into'the nest by standing on the bank of the slough. When I looked into it and saw six eggs, I felt that one more species was to be added to my collection of local sets; bur a more careful examination showed that two of the eggs were on the point of hatching, one already having a small hole chipped in one side; so sliding from the tree I made a hasty departure leaving the o?vls to return to their soon-to-be family. Yes! I have read instructions as to satisfactory methods of preparing for the cabinet eggs in which incubation is complete, but the collecting spirit has never become sufficiently developed to tempt me to pilfer a nest in tha. t condi- tion. Next sea.son, perhaps, I may happen along that way a couple of weeks earlier, and should a good set of eggs be my reward I shall prize them more highly when I remember my previous acquaintance with the Long-eared Owls. Spe0tyt0 cunieularia hyp0gae?. Burrowing Owl. Wishing to acquire a little more information as to the nidification of these queer little owls, I opened four nesting burro?vs on April 3 o, 1912; the first of these held six fresh eggs, with one of the birds o? the nest. She proved a ravage captive, lying on her back with bill snapping viciously and claws ex- tended while she squealed and scolded in the most approved owl fashion. Not wishing to 'injure or unnecessarily frighten her I soon released her. After a short undulating flight she perched on the mound of a burrow not far away, where she remained for some time. One of the other nests held large young birds, nearly leathered, while the other two burrows each claimed families of half-grown young. The number of each broo.d was not ascertained as I did not care to enlarge the burrows to such an extent as to allow the en- trance of any large animal. Around the mounds at the entrances to these excavations were miscellaneous collections of scraps, showing the kind of food that had been brought to the young owlets. A dried up section of some small snake, the legs of a frog, tufts of fur and bones of mice, were identified, together with large numbers of wings and shells of beetles. These, and other large insects, it .seemed, had formed the greater part of the food of newly hatched birds, the diet of meat gradually becoming more common as the young grew stronger. From the stand- point of' the agriculturist a pair of these interesting little owls must prove a valuable asset to any farm. I,anius ludovicianus gambeli. California Shrike. - Last spring, while passing a willow tree growing near a canal at the road- side, I noticed a shrike perched on the topmost twig. As this is usually an in- dication of a nest, I stopped to investigate, and soon located the framework of a nest that had probably been commenced only a day or two before my visit. Three weeks later (March 23, 1912) I found myself in the same locality, and decided to look up my shrikes; but before reaching the place I saw another nest in the drooping branches of a tree not over one hundi'ed yards from the site of the first one mentioned. Seeing the tail of the sitting bird over the edge of the nest, I supposed.my shrikes had moved for some reason; so, after the owner had flitted from her nest and skimmed along to a convenient weed stalk, I ex- amined the contents and was rewarded with eight nearly fresh eggs. As this was
