Mar., ?9o? I THE CONDOR 31 ous situations. I have taken nests from orange trees, ten, twelve and sixteen feet up: from low thorny saplings four, five and eight feet up and many nests from bunches of plantains which gen- erally hang about twelve feet up. I have also seen several among the twigs in the tops of almost branchless trees from twenty to thirty feet up. The birds never build in coffee bushes, and in the cafetal never below the tops of the coffee trees (a height of about ten feet). Nests that are found low down are built in open places Giraud's Flycatcher lays usually three or sometimes four eggs. These possess a latitude of variation common to fly- catchers' eggs, but may be described as generally resembling the eggs of the kingbird, though perhaps not averag- ing as heavy in markings. I took my first set of fresh eggs on April x4 and the last on May 4. A set of four fresh eggs was taken on May to, but it was from a nest from which I had taken a set of four on April 2?. This flycatcher is a friendly little fellow, the clothesline in the back yard being one of his favorite perches, and the trees near the house seemingly his favorite nesting site, as there were six nests within a radius of ?oo yards. It is interesting to watch the birds when they have young, and to see them shoot up into the nest from below and pre- sently dive out again May in the #i{Ih Sierras. URING the summer-like weather II arrived at the summit of the Cen- tral Pacific Railroad, altitude %o0o feet, the evening of May ?o, r898. There was no snow at the station nor in the large meadow which extends three miles westward, but there were large patches of it on the surrounding peaks and ridges. The season was unusually early, the willows were partly in leaf and catkin, buttercups, white and blue violets were in flower, while pasturage was good in the meadow. Frogs(hrylas) were peep- ing, grouse an.d the Plumed Quail (Ore- ortyx p. pinmiletus) were uttering their nuptial notes,' butterflies and other in- sects were numerous, the marmot, chip- munks and other small animals were active but had probably been out of winter quarters only two or three days; as snow was ten inches deep on the second of the month, and did not dis- appear from the station until the 8th, so Mr. Oft, the agent told me. The Plumed Partridge (Oreortyx' p. plumi/erus) Blue-fronted Jay (Cyano- citta s. frontalis), Cassin's Purple Finch (Uarfiodacus cassini,) White-crowned Sparrow, (Z. leucophrys), Junco and Arctic Bluebird, (Sialia arctica) were common. Additional summer residents in moderate force were noted during the ?th and ?2th, namely: Spotted Sandpiper (`4ctitis macularia), Killdeer, (.4. voczfera), Red-shafted Flicker (Col- apies c. collaris), Traill's Flycatcher, ( Empidonax traili), Ruby-crowned Wren (Negulus calendula) and Western Robin (Afferula m. propinqua). On the ?2th I found a nest of the Mountain Quail or Partridge and one of a Junco, each containing a single egg. The ?3th and ?4th were warm but there was a great change in the even- ing of the latter, when a chilling rain was followed by sleet and snow which continued several days until snow was nearly three feet deep, so I was in- formed. I went over the meadow again in the afternoon of the ?5th; the snow was melting about as fast as it fell, and I found a small flock of Horned Larks which had come to spend the summer. With them was a Western Lark Sparrow ( Uhondestes g. strigatus), a storm-bound migrant, probably an in- tended summer resident of Truckee Meadows. A Barn Swallow (lr[irundo erythrogasler) was circling over the meadow in a snow-squall, three cock quails were whistling at the same time and a Western Meadow Lark (Slumella m. neglecta) occasionally sang. A Lewis's Woodpecker (A4relanerpes
