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 MAR., 1902. I THE CONDOR 33 top. Continuing my search for the nest of the marsh hawk, I had not gone a hun- dred yards from the site of the grouse's nest, when a second female Columbian sharp-tailed grouse lumbered from my feet. (I forgot to give the technical name before, which is Pedioctesphasia- nellus columbianus.) This nest xvas among upright rose-stems and nettles; I remember the nettles particularly, for every time I reached down to take out an egg, my hand was scratched, and it was poisoned for several days. This nest was open above, and as I hurriedly scanned the contents, I was sure I counted fourteen eggs. This time I felt like an escaped convict, but circmn- stances were so favorable that I felt im- pelled to pack the eggs. In case I was interrupted by anyone so low-minded as to overlook the needs of science, I was prepared with a permit to collect anything at any timis for the state uni- versity museum; and of course these would be for the university museum. My fourteen embryonic chickens had increased to twenty eight, all fresh. This nest was made as the first, in a cavity six inches across and two inches deep, entirely surrounded by the up- right stems. The morning of May 2 9 seemed to be favorable for further quest of curlews' nests, so taking the same course [ had followed the preceding morning, I soon was met by the watchful male who had first entertained me. Determined to follow in this instance to the last extre- mity, in about twenty tninutes I had the male feinting at me from all sides, the last stage in the proceedings, and pres- ently I espied the female brooding over her charge, lying as flat as possible, with head and bill lying on the ground in front of her. Flapping to her feet, she ran limping and fluttering over the ground for thirty or forty yards; then she joined with the male in cackling protests at the despoilation of her house- hold. The nest was among scant grass blades, beside a pile of dried cow man- ure. The only material was a few pieces of coarse grass stems and several lumps of 'dried manure, somewhat larger than peas, their use being apparently to hold the eggs in place in the nest. The cavity was eight inches and six inches major and minor axes, two inches deep. The four eggs were placed as usual with the small ends together in the middle of the nest. They were far ad- vanced in incubation. The pattern of coloration was dark green, with large blotches of dark brown, and blackish spots, the markings being more numer- ous at the larger end, and on one or more of the eggs the markings at the large end were nearly confluent. Having found one nest of the long- billed curlew, it is difficult to locate an- other in the same pasture, for tile owners of the first nest will follow the distur- ber, making frequent feints, and the col- lector will be unable to tell whether it is the owner of a new nest or the pair that has been despoiled. I have known a pair of curlews, whose nest I had de- spoiled, to follow me tlree miles, feinting at me as if I were on the first trail of their nest. So I returned home, and on the same afternoon I selected a pasture in a different direction. After walking about half a mile in the pas- ture, I attracted the notice of a male. As usual, he cackled overhead, and alighted near me. Keeping at a brisk walk, I found this nest in about twenty minutes; in fact, I found it before I was prepared for it, not expecting to chance upon it for another hundred yards at least. It was near the middle of a gentle slope, made between a tuft of tanzy and a pile of dried cow manure, of coarse pieces of weed stems and pel- lets of manure. These eggs were far advanced in incubation, but were nicely prepared with pancreatin. It happened that all my nests of the long-billed curlew this season held eggs about ready to hatch. Duties connected with my school kept me in when I de- sired to be in the field. Good sets of eggs should be taken between the 8th