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 Jan., i9oi [ THE CONDOR 9 Nesting Habits of the California Shrike Lanius ludovicianus ambeli Ridgw. BY WM. L. ATKINSON HE California Shrike is an abund- ant resident in Santa Clara, Co., Cal. where it may be seen at al- most any time by an observing person, perched upon a telegraph pole or the top of some tall tree where it may have a good view of the surrounding country. A grain field containing several large white-oak or live-oak trees is a favorite locality of this bird, and once a pair has selected a location of this kind, nothing short of death will cause them to leave it. A cypress (Jr osage orange hedge is a favored spot for a nest as is also a scrub willow in a grain field or at the roadside. Nest building. is commenced as soon as the weather moderates in the spring --some years earlier than others. My record for my first set of shrikes' eggs for the past six years is as follows: t895, Feb. 26, six fresh eggs. 896 , Mar. t9, six fresh eggs. 897, Apl. t, seven fresh eggs. t898, Mar. 9, six fresh eggs. t899, Apl. o, six fresh eggs. 9oo, Mar. 5, six fresh eggs. The latest date at which I have taken eggs is June t7. I believe that when unmolested the shrike raises at least three broods in a season. If the nest is robbed the birds will immediately start another oe, near to and sometimes right upon the site of the old nest and in a very short time it will contain a set of eggs. In t894 I took one set of seven eggs, two of six each, one of five and a small boy got anotherof four eggs,--all from a pair of shrikes which had selected an eighty-acre field near my residence for their home. This field contained four white oak trees and one live-oak, and when one nest was collected from them they would immediately repair to the next tree and build again. In this way twenty-ight egg. were taken from them, but undaunted they began again and in admiration for their perseverance I left them to build their si:cth nest and hatch their eggs in peace. The nxt year they were on hand as usual and have ever since been yielding two or three sets yearly to swell the writer's collection. The following is a fair record for one pair of birds for four years,-- 189,5, Feb. _06. Six fresh eggs. Mar. 27. Seven eggs. Incubation advanced. Apl. 27. Six eggs. Incubation begun. $96, Mar. t9. Six eggs. Fresh. Apl. 3. Five eggs. Incubation begun. Apl. $. Six eggs. Fresh. May 4. Five eggs. Incubation slight. 897. Apl. . Seven fresh eggs. 898. Mar. 6. Six fresh eggs. A total of nine sets or fifty-four eggs. I could have taken at least one ortwo more sets in both 897 and 898 had I desired to do so--and during the same length of time the "small boy" got sev- eral sets, so it can be easily seen that the shrike is in no danger of extermina- tion. I know that these eggs were all laid by the same pair of birds because they nested within an eighth of a mile of my residence, so that I was in a position to watch them both in the winter and smnmer. The eggs of this bird all show a great resemblance, as I have before noted (CONDOR , 2 9), which helps to'prove the theory of in- dividuality of eggs and also that they were alldeposited by the same bird. This year, 9oo, I had quite an inter- esting experience with the shrike. On the 5th of March I was out collecting some specimens for skins, and while driving along a country road I noticed a su ;picious looking "bunch" ten feet up