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 Jan., t9o7 BIRDS OBSERVED FROld MARYSVILLE TO GRASS VALLEY sword grass. When I came to about the middle I flushed a small greenish yellow bird. Even tho I saw just where the bird flew from I had quite a time finding the nest. It was built in the sword grass among a few blackberry vines about one foot from the ground, and contained four fresh eggs. The nest was nmde entirely of dried sword grass lined with black horsehair, and was deep like a cup. The eggs were white marked on one end with lines and dots of black tending toward the forming of a ring. I sat down and waited. Finally I heard a small chirrup behind me, and turned quickly. This was a mistake on my part for no bird did I see. Another long wait and another chirrup, this time to my left. I staid perfectly still this time and finally caught sight of the female and her mate hopping around in the nearby bushes. They gradually came nearer and as soon as I saw the bright colored nmle with his black mask I knew what I had found. It was a nest of the Pacific yellow-throat ((?eolh/yp/s lr/chas ar/ze/a). The birds made quite a dis- turbance, the male chasing his mate toward the nest, but he would_not come nearer than within ten feet of it even tho she came and sat on the nest. As soon as she got comfortably settled he left. A little further on was another patch of sword grass. Here I flushed another female yellow-throat. The nest was built of the same material as the first and was in the sword grass about a foot from the ground. It contained four perfectly fresh eggs. The parents staid near all the time I was around; I could hear them, but rarely caught sight of them. I found another nest of this species near the other end of the patch in about a similar location containing four fresh eggs. On the other side of the road near a fresh water pond I saw a .pair of yellow- throats. As soon as they saw me they disappeared in the underbrush. By this time I knew where to look for the homes of these birds. Seeing a few clumps of sword grass about thirty feet from where the birds were at first I commenced to look. The first clump revealed nothing. But the first tilne I parted the second clmnp I looked directly down in a yellow-throat's nest containing five fresh eggs. The nest was about one foot from th ground and built of the same material as the others. The parents did not come around. The next was a nest of a western chipping sparrow which was built in a tree about seven feet from the ground and very easily seen. It contained four incubated eggs. This made incubated eggs, pretty nearly ready to hatch, on the same date I found the fresh egg. I also found two old nests of this species and two old nests of the bush-tit in the close vicinity. I also found a bush-tit's nest near here containing one fresh egg. The parents were absent. I saw a nest about twenty feet up in a tree. Even tho it looked like an old nest I decided to climb for it. It xvas a cottonwood tree and had many little branches to retard my movement. When about ten feet up I came across a pretty beetle which Itried to capture and take along. We played chase for a while until finally he squirted some liquid in my face which stung so I made quick descent to the ground. I decided not to climb in that tree again. I washed the liquid off and moved on. There were quite a few beetles in the bottomland both large and small. The most nmnerous kind was about an inch and a quarter long and had a very pretty green back. In a clump of young cottonwoods I had another new experience. I came across a dead tree, and about six feet up I saw what I supposed was an old nest. It was of lichens, etc., and saddled upon a limb against the main trunk. I pulled it down, but was much ashamed of myself when the parents returned. It was a pair of gnatcatchers (79ol/opli/a cerzlea obscura) which were just building. I replaced