72- THE CONDOR VoL XX their mud nests, forty-seven in number, along the rafters of an open cow-shed. As I came near, the birds began circling upward until they were almost lost in the clouds. Later they came down again and resumed building, but six hours afterwards when I passed the spot on my way back to camp, every one of thc birds had disappeared. The day closed without any other than the usual species being noted and no nests, save a second Modoc Woodpecker 's with three fresh eggs and a Red-shafted Flicker's (Colaptes cat'er collaris) in' course of excava- tion. On May 18 it stormed until 3:15., when I went ? abroad on a short ramble. The only interesting discovery was the finding of a Western Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon caurina) which had met its death by becoming entangled in wire fencing on the hotel grounds and which is shown in the accompanying photo- graph (fig. 6). Having heard of the former nesting of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) on the range of mountains southeast of Bijou and as the weather had now become clear and still, I decided next morning on making a trip to this region. During the whole of a long day's tramp afield, I saw three eagles, but found no nests, al- though I did locate, in a m?ssive Jeffrey pine about 150 feet up, an occupied nest of the Western Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo borealis calurus) to which, however, I did not climb. In one respect this nest is worthy of notice being the only tree- nest of a large raptore that I had ever found up to this time in the High Sierras. On May 20, on the edge of a swampy tract, I came upon a pair of Sierra Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus Varius daggetti) engaged in nest-drilling in a tamarack pine. The birds worked alternately for about equal periods and I watched them for a c6nsiderable time. On the 21st, in com?)any with two friends, a tramp was taken over the eastern summit and down into Carson Valley, Nev?,da. Here numerous nests of common species were noted, snd, owing to, a lower elevation, most of them contained eggs. Some nests noted held young which, in the case of the Nevada Redwing (Agelaius phoeniceus nevadensis) were as yet unfeathered, while those of the American -?Iagpie (Pica pica hurlsonia) were almost ready to leave the nest. Of more than passing interest were colonies of Brewer Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus) nesting in rules along fresh-water sloughs, although there existed abundant op- portunity for tree-nesting. Seven nests examined were made of mud, manure, grasses, weed-stems and rootlets, and were lined with horse and cow hair. They held from two to six eggs, all apparently in a fresh condition. On my return to Bijou, May 25, the first find worthy of record was a nest of the Mountain Chickadee in the top of an old stump, with five nearly fresh eggs, and one of the Williamson Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) the day follow- ing, with six eggs in which incubation had just begun. The nesting cavity was fifteen feet up in a dead lodge?)ole or tamarack pine and the eggs lay on a bed of bits of wood excavated by the birds. While I was in the tree both the parents, so wonderfully unlike in coloration, made their appear.ance, the male uttering from time to time, as it went up and down the nearby tree trunks, the remarka- bly loud and characteristic call-note. At Rowland's Marsh. two days later. I noticed at least a thousand. Cliff Swallows in migration. The birds rested for a time in the same erove of dead pines in which the Tree Swallows had been seen previously and where many of the latter had since taken up their abode. ? came upon a ?)air of Western Ruby- crowned Kinglets (Regulus calendula cineraceus) engaged in tearing the nest of
