Page 437 741. Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Penthestes rufescens rufescens. Range.--Pacific coast from Oregon to Alaska. White. This species is similar to the Hudsonian in having a brown crown and black throat, but has in addition, a chestnut colored back and sides. They breed locally in Oregon, more commonly in Washington and are abundant in British Columbia, making the nests of animal fur in holes in dead stubs. Their eggs vary in number from five to eight and are creamy white, dotted with reddish; size .60 × .45. Data.--Dayton, Oregon, May 28, 1906. Nest of hair and fur in willow stub, 10 feet up. 741a. California Chickadee. Penthestes rufescens neglectus. Range.--Coast regions of California. This variety is not as rufous on the sides as the more northern one. Its habits and eggs are the same. 741b. Barlow's Chickadee. Penthestes rufescens barlowi. Range.--About Monterey Bay, California. This variety is said to have no rusty on the flanks. Its habits and eggs are like those of the others. 742a. Pallid Wren-Tit. Chamæa fasciata henshawi. Range.--Interior of California from Lower California to the Sacramento Valley. This duller colored variety has the same nesting habits and similar eggs to those of the Coast Wren-tit. 742b. Coast Wren-Tit. Chamæa fasciata fasciata. Range.--Pacific coast from southern California north to Oregon. White. These peculiar brownish gray colored birds frequent the tangled underbrush of ravines and mountain sides where they lead the life of a recluse. They nest at low elevations in the densest thickets, making them of twigs, strips of bark, grasses and feathers, compactly woven together and located in bushes from one to four feet from the ground. They lay from three to five plain, unmarked, pure white eggs; size .75 × .54. Data.--Wrights, Cal. Nest in a tangle of vines in a deep ravine; composed of strips of bark, moss and grasses, lined with cattle hair; a bulky nest. 743. Bush-Tit. Psaltriparus minimus minimus. Range.--Pacific coast of northern California, Oregon and Washington. White. These diminutive little birds build nests that are marvels of architecture, making long purse-like structures, suspended from twigs usually at low elevations from the ground. The nests are made of moss, lichens, fibres, ferns and grasses and lined with feathers or wool; the opening is on one side near the top, and a typical nest averages 12 inches in length, by 4.5 inches in diameter at the bottom and 3 at the top. Their eggs number from four to nine and are pure white; size .54 × .40. The birds are very active and have the same habits as the Chickadees, being seen often suspended, head downward, from the ends of twigs, in their search for insects.





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 743a. California Bush-Tit. Psaltriparus minimus californicus. Range.--California with the exception of the northern part. This sub-species, which is like the last but with a lighter brown head, has the same habits, nests in the same manner and its eggs are not distinguishable from those of the others. 743b. Grinda's Bush-Tit. Psaltriparus minimus grindæ. BUSH-TIT AND NEST. Range.--Southern Lower California. The nesting habits of this variety, which is very similar to the last, do not vary in any respect; eggs indistinguishable. 744. Lead-colored Bush-Tit. Psaltriparus plumbeus. Range.--Rocky Mountain region from Wyoming south to Arizona. This species suspends its semi-pensile nests in bushes or trees, and some times from the mistletoe, which grows on numerous trees in southern Arizona. The nests are composed like those of the Cal. Bush-Tit and range from 6 to 10 inches in length. The eggs are white, five or six in number and measure .55 × .42. 745. Lloyd's Bush-Tit. Psaltriparus melanotis lloydi. Range.--Northern Mexico north into western Texas and New Mexico. This species is similar to the lead-colored Bush-Tit but has the ear coverts glossy black. Like the others, it builds a long pensile nest of similar material and suspended from the extremities of limbs near the ground The five to seven eggs are pure white. Size .58 × .42.
Page 439 Verdin. 746. Verdin. Auriparus flaviceps flaviceps. Range.--Mexican border of the United States, north to Colorado and Nevada. Greenish blue. This Bush-Tit has a bright yellow head and throat, the upper parts being gray and the belly, white. They are abundant in chaparral brush, locally throughout their range. Their large globular nests are situated in bushes at low elevations from the ground, and are made of twigs and weeds, softly lined with fur and feathers. Their three to six eggs are pale greenish blue, specked and dotted with reddish brown. Size .58 × .44. Data.--Brownsville, Texas, May 8, 1894. Large nest of sticks and thorns, lined with hair and feathers, and located in a bush in brush thicket, 8 feet from the ground. 746a. Cape Verdin. Auriparus flaviceps lamprocephalus. Range.--Lower California. This new sub-species is said to have shorter wings and tail, and also to be brighter yellow on the head. Its habits and eggs will not differ from those of the common Verdin or Yellow-headed Bush-Tit. WARBLERS, KINGLETS and GNATCATCHERS. Family SYLVIIDÆ 747. Kennicott's Willow Warbler. Acanthopneuste borealis. Range.--Asia, casually found in Alaska. White. This species breeds in the extreme northern parts of Asia, and I believe its eggs have never been found on this continent. They build their nests of moss and grasses, on the ground in open woods, concealing them under tufts of grass or tussocks of earth. The three to five eggs are white, spotted with pale reddish brown. Size .70 × .50. 748. Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulus satrapa satrapa. Range.--North America, breeding from northern United States northward, and south in the Rockies to Mexico, and in the Alleghanies to the Carolinas; winters throughout the United States. Gray. This rugged little fellow appears to be perfectly content in our northern states even during the most severe winters and leaves us early in the spring for his breeding grounds farther north. They are usually found in company with Chickadees and, like them, may be seen hanging to twigs in all sorts of positions as they search for their meagre fare. Their nests are large, round structures of green moss, bark strips and fine rootlets, very thickly lined with soft feathers; these are placed in forks or partially suspended among the branches of spruce trees, usually high above the ground. During June they lay from five to ten eggs of a dull whitish or grayish color, spotted heavily with pale brown and lilac. Size .55 × .42.






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 Golden-crowned Kinglets. 748a. Western Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulas satrapa olivaceus. Range.--Pacific coast from southern California to Alaska. This variety is said to be brighter colored than the last; its habits and eggs are the same in all particulars. 749. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Regulus calendula calendula. White. Range.--North America, breeding from the northern border of the United States northward, and farther south in mountain ranges; winters in southern United States. This little bird is of the size of the Golden-crowned Kinglet (4.25 inches long) and has a partially concealed patch of red on the crown, not bordered by black and yellow as is the last species. Their nests are similar in construction to those of the last species and are situated in coniferous trees at any altitude from the ground. Their four to nine eggs are creamy white, finely specked with reddish brown. Size .56 × .44.
NEST AND EGGS OF BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.
Page 441 Ruby-crowned Kinglet. 749a. Sitka Kinglet. Regulas calendula grinnelli. Range.--Pacific coast, breeding in Alaska. Said to be brighter than the preceding variety. 749b. Dusky Kinglet. Regulus calendula obscurus. Range.--Guadalupe Island, Lower California. This species nests during March in the large cypress and pine groves at high elevations above the ground. The nests are similar in construction to those of the common Ruby-crown, and the eggs are scarcely different from some specimens of that species; white, dotted and wreathed with reddish brown. Size .56 × .43. 751. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. Polioptila cærulea cærulea. Range.--United States, east of the Rockies, breeding from the Gulf to the Middle and Central States; casually north to Massachusetts and Minnesota. These graceful birds are bluish gray above with a black forehead and central tail feathers, and white underparts. They are common in wooded districts in the south, where they saddle their beautiful nests upon horizontal branches or in crotches usually at quite an elevation from the ground; they resemble large Ruby-throated Hummers' nests but the walls are much higher and thicker; they are made of plant fibres and down, lined with cottony substances and hair, and covered on the outside with lichens to match the limb upon which it is placed. Bluish white. Their eggs are bluish white, specked with reddish chestnut. Size .58 × .45. Data.--Chattanooga, Tenn., April 30, 1900. Nest of moss, covered with lichens and lined with hair and feathers; 20 feet from the ground in a small tree. 751a. Western Gnatcatcher. Polioptila cærulea obscura. Range.--Western United States and Lower California. The habits and eggs of this sub-species are the same as those of the eastern bird, and the nests do not differ except, perhaps, in less ornamentation of the exterior. 752. Plumbeous Gnatcatcher. Polioptila plumbea. Range.--Mexican boundary from western Texas to southern California. Greenish blue. This species has a bright shining black crown and more black on the tail than the eastern Gnatcatcher. They saddle their nests upon the branches of trees or in upright forks, usually at an elevation of ten feet or more from the ground; the nests are made of plant fibres and fine bark strips, compactly felted together, and with little, if any, ornamental lichens on the exterior. Their eggs are pale greenish blue, spotted with reddish brown, and vary from three to five in number. Size .54 × .44.





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 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. 753. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. Polioptila californica. Range.--Pacific coast of southern California and northern Lower California. Grayish white. This bird is very similar to the last but has still less white on the outer tail feathers. Like the last, the nests of this species usually lack the exterior covering of lichens, being made of vegetable fibres and plant down, firmly quilted together and saddled on horizontal limbs or placed in forks of trees at any height from the ground. Their eggs are grayish white, specked with bright reddish brown. Size .55 × .44. Data.--Escondido, Cal., May 17, 1903. 5 eggs. Nest on a large limb of a sycamore, 30 feet above ground; made of weed fibres, etc., lined with hair and fine fibres. THRUSHES, SOLITAIRES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. Family TURDIDAE 754. Townsend's Solitaire. Myadestes townsendi. Range.--Western United States, breeding from Arizona, New Mexico and southern California north to British Columbia. Grayish white. This unique species is of a uniform brownish gray color, with a white eye ring, narrow bar on wing, and outer tail feathers, and with the bases of the primaries rusty colored. It is a ground inhabiting bird, feeding upon insects and berries in shrubbery and thickets. Their song is said to be liquid, melodious and often long continued, equaling that of any other bird. They nest on the ground in hollows under banks or crevices about roots of trees or fallen stumps, making a large, loosely constructed pile of weeds and trash, hollowed and lined with rootlets. The three or four eggs, which are laid in June, are grayish white, spotted with pale brown, chiefly or most abundantly about the large end. Size .96 × .70. 755. Wood Thrush. Hylocichla mustelina. Range.--Eastern United States, breeding from North Carolina and Kansas north to northern United States; winters south of our borders. Greenish blue. This Thrush with his brightly spotted breast is the most handsome of this group of musical birds. They are common in damp woods and thickets, in which places they breed, placing their nests of straw, leaves and grasses in low trees usually between four and ten feet from the ground; their nests are often very rustic, being ornamented by pieces of paper and twigs with dead leaves attached hanging from the sides of the quite bulky structures. During May or June they lay three or four greenish blue eggs of about the shade of a Robin's. Size 1.05 × .70.
Page 443 Wood Thrush. 756. Veery. Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens. Range.--Eastern North America, breeding in the northern half of its United States range and in the southern British Provinces. The Veery is very abundantly distributed in woodland, either moist or dry, and nests on the ground or within a very few inches of it, usually placing its structures of woven bark strips and grasses, in the midst of a clump of sprouts or ferns. The three or four eggs which they lay in May or June are bluish green, much darker than those of the Wood Thrush, and nearly the color of those of the Catbird. Size .90 × .65. 756a. Willow Thrush. Hylocichla fuscescens salicicola. Range.--Rocky Mountain region, north to British Columbia. The nests and eggs of this similar bird do not differ from those of the last. 757. Gray-cheeked Thrush. Hylocichla aliciæ aliciæ. Range.--Breeds from Labrador to Alaska; winters south to Central America. The nesting habits and eggs of this species are very similar to those of the following sub-species and the same description will answer for both. 757. Bicknell's Thrush. Hylocichla aliciæ bicknelli. Wilson's Thrush. Range.--Breeds in the Catskills, White Mountains and Nova Scotia. Greenish blue. These birds, which are practically identical with the preceding, build their nests at low elevations in trees, usually evergreens when present, making them of twigs, moss and rootlets, lined with fine grasses. The eggs, which are laid during May or June, are pale greenish blue, spotted and blotched with pale brown or russet. Size .88 × .64. Data.--Seal Island, Nova Scotia, June 3, 1901. Nest of green moss and rootlets, in a spruce, 5 feet from the ground. 758. Russet-backed Thrush. Hylocichla ustulata ustulata. Range.--Pacific coast, breeding in Oregon and Alaska; winters in Central America. This species is very abundant in moist thickets throughout its range, nesting in bushes and low trees, and making them of weed stalks, bark strips, grasses and moss, lined with fine black rootlets.





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WOOD THRUSH.
Page 445 Gray-cheeked Thrush.
Olive-backed Thrush. They are found at elevations of from two to ten feet above the ground. Like the Wood Thrush the birds are tame while sitting on the nest and will allow a very close approach, without taking alarm; nests are frequently found which are made almost entirely out of green moss and are very handsome structures. Greenish blue. Their three to five eggs are laid in May or June; they are greenish blue, spotted with brown of varying shades. Size .92 × .65. Data.--Eureka, California, July 6, 1899. Nest in a fir tree, 5 feet from the ground; made of moss and strips of redwood bark. 4 eggs. 758a. Olive-backed Thrush. Hylocichla swainsoni. Range.--Eastern North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States, but locally in the northern parts, and abundantly in mountain ranges. The nesting habits and eggs of this eastern representative of the last species are like those of that bird in all respects and the eggs cannot be distinguished from those of ustulatus. 758b. Olive-Backed Thrush. Hylocichla œdica. Range.--California and southern Oregon. Nesting habits and eggs identical with those of ustulatus. 759. Alaska Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata guttata. Range.--Pacific coast from British Columbia to Alaska. Winters in Mexico. The Hermit Thrushes can readily be identified from any other by the reddish brown tail which is in marked contrast to the color of the back. The nesting habits and eggs of this species are precisely like those of the eastern Hermit Thrush, which is a sub-species of this. 759a. Audubon's Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata auduboni. Range.--Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Winters in Central America. The nesting habits of this bird are like those of the next except that it more frequently nests in bushes above the ground. The eggs are not distinctive.




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 Hermit Thrush. 759b. Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata pallasi. Range.--Eastern North America, breeding in northern United States and north to Labrador; winters in southern United States. Bluish green. This species, which is noted for its sweet and musical song, frequents damp swamps and thickets where it builds its nest either on the ground or near it, like that of the Wilson Thrush; it is made of shreds of bark, grasses, leaves and rootlets, lined with fine rootlets; the three or four eggs, which are deposited in May or June, are bluish green and cannot, with certainty, be distinguished from those of the Veery; size .85 × .65. 759c. Dwarf Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata nanus. Range.--Pacific coast of United States, from Washington, southward. The nesting habits and eggs of this slightly smaller and duller colored variety are like those of the other Hermit Thrushes. 760. Red-winged Thrush. Turdus musicus. Range.--An Old World species, accidentally straying to Greenland. This common European bird nests at low elevations in bushes or trees, laying four or five bluish green eggs, spotted with reddish brown; size 1.05 × .75. American Robin. 761. Robin. Planesticus migratorius migratorius. Range.--North America east of the Rockies, breeding from the middle portions of the United States, north to the Arctic Ocean. Greenish blue. These common birds nest in trees about houses, in orchards, open woods, in corners of fences, on blinds on houses, and in fact almost every conceivable position. Their nests are made of grasses, firmly cemented together with mud and lined with finer grasses; when placed in trees they are generally firmly saddled in crotches and may be found at any height, from on the ground to sixty feet above it. Their eggs are greenish blue; size 1.15 × .80. Eggs may be found at any time from May until July or August as they raise several broods a season.