Common Grackle Kills and Eats House Sparrow

piece of canvas tacked to the upper part of the screen and hanging down loose against it. Only a few inches separated the stalk and the canvas. The female oriole began the nest by attaching yucca fibers to the stalk and working the other ends of the material through a small hole of about •/{ inch existing in the canvas. As I was afraid the canvas would separate from the screen, I tacked the top down more securely. This did not disturb the female, as she continued to work on the nest soon after I had left. On June 9, only a few more strands of fiber had been added; but by June 11, the nest was the shape of a shallow basket. By June 16, the nest was nearly completed, except for the lining. On June 17, the female was seen working on the lining of the nest. The lining consisted of horse hair and other unidentified hair. On June 23, the nest contained 3 eggs, and on the morning of June 25, there were 4 eggs. The male was seen at the nest but not observed bringing nesting material. Apparently the female built the entire nest. The nest was about 8 feet from the ground. It seems strange that the pair used this location, as there was a big cottonwood and other trees close to the house that they might have used as a nest site. On June 22, two pairs of Hooded Orioles and their semi-pensile, basket-shaped nests were observed in cottonwoods at the Sala ranch house in Granite Springs Canyon. Unfortunately I left the area soon after the eggs were laid, so I could not follow the completion of this nesting. The Hooded Oriole is the western oriole most likely to be found near houses. In southern California it has been reported nesting in ornamental palms and banana plants (Huey, Condor 46: 298, 1944; Ewan, Condor, 46: 205, 1944), but I have found no account of a nest attached to a building.--Jor• J. STo•'Hx,•T, g612 Maplewood Ave., Toledo 10, Ohio.