t3o THE CONDOR I Vol. III would not leave the nest 'and had to be taken off before the eggs could be col- lected. Nest No. 2 is a large natural cavity in the trunk of a live sycamore and is about twenty feet up. The cavity is about eighteen inches wide by three deep. The first set was taken from this nest on March 24, and consisted of five eggs, incubation far advanced. The second set of four eggs, incubation also advanced, was taken May 3, and, on the 25th of May, a third set of five slightly incubated eggs was taken from this nest. Nest No. 3 is a natural cavity in the trunk of a live sycamore tree. This cavity is five inches wide by twelve deep, and is placed about 20 feet above the ground. The first set consisting of six fresh eggs, was taken from this nest on March 3?, the bird being flushed. The second set of five eggs, slightly incubated, was taken on April 25 . A third set consisting of five badly incu- bated eggs, was taken on the 25th of May. The parent bird was not on the nest on either of the two last visits. Nest No, 4 is a woodpecker's excava- tion in the dead limb of a sycamore and is 30 feet up. The limb is about five inches through and the stub is hollowed out to a depth of six inches, leaving a mere shell of wood. Three sets were taken from this nest during the season; one of five eggs on April 7, one of five eggs on May 3 and the last, consisting of four eggs, on May 29th. The incu- bation in each of these three cases was slight. By making a comparison of the eggs in this series, the similarity of the differ- ent sets from the same nest is seen to be very strongly marked in almost all cases. The resemblance is so strong that the sets from the same nest can be picked out from the others with but lit- tle difficulty. This goe-s to prove that the birds keep on using the same nest all through the season, unless it is de- stroyed in some way. In one case, in which I disturbed the nest while get- ting the eggs, the birds 'simply moved about one hundred feet t15 anqther tree and there laid their second and third sets. These three sets are so different from any others which I have seen, that I am positive that they are from the same birds. Frown observations taken during sev-. eral years collecting in the same local- ity I am led to believe that the birds keep their nests from year to year, ing back to the same nest they occupied the previous season. I have noticed a great deal of individuality in the ac- tions of the birds while their nests are being robbed, the bird at any given nest always acting the same. Some of the birds will immediately fly away on being disturbed and not appear again. Some will perch in some near-by tree and scold. Others will hover in the air above their nest and scream at the in- truder, while some will show fight and dart back and forth near the face of the person disturbing them. I have noticed that in the great majority of instances have met with the same treatment at the same nests for several successive years. In three or four cases especi- ally, this has been brought very strongly to my notice. The sets this season averaged larger than for some vears past. I collected two sets of six eggs each and found another so badly incubated that I was forced to leave it. The second and third sets were nearly all of five eggs each xvhere usually they drop off to four and three eggs to a set. One set that xvas taken this year shows some features that merit a little fuller de- scriptitm. The set consists of five eggs and onI. y two are at all similar. One of the eggs is fully a third larger than the others and is pure white. One has the large end completely covered with brown markings and ohe has the small end covered in the same manner. In addition to this, this last egg is consid- erably smaller than any of the others and is not nearly so pointed at the small end. The other two are rather lightly and evenly marked all over.
