1912] The Ottawa Naturalist 149 



see him return many times, but seldom without a rodent in his 

 claws. The eggs are pure white and rather rough in texture 

 on the surface. I have found them to vary in numbers from 

 four to seven. The young, as with all our birds of prey, hatch 

 in rotation, as the eggs are laid, so that they are of different 

 ages. They are odd little fellows at first, all fluff, with large 

 heads, but they very soon learn how to claw and hiss. 



Several theories have been advanced as reasons for the 

 hatching of young at different times. The chief advantage, how- 

 ever, seems to be that of protection, especially with birds of prey. 

 The first born soon learns, not only to protect itself, but its younger 

 brothers and sisters also, as I have more than once witnessed; 

 indeed they are regular little demons as they throw themselves 

 upon their backs and use their claws vigourously. They will 

 also readily hop to the rescue of a younger companion and are 

 thus a means of defending the whole family against any intruder, 

 be it skunk, badger, or coyote. The mother, too, is a fearless 

 defender of her brood and' is by no means to be trifled with; 

 indeed her daring on some occasions would, I believe, lead to 

 serious scratchings did one offer an opportunity. In this respect 

 the male is far less bold and contents himself with making 

 faint dives, taking care to keep well out of reach. 



The food for the young is collected by both parents and they 

 are careful to pluck or skin everything before offering it to be 

 eaten; they also carry away all tell-tale bones, etc., so that 

 there is no unnecessary odours to attract enemies. The young, 

 too, as soon as they are able, move away from the nest, and 

 by the time they are nearly fully fledged may be discovered 

 several hundred feet away, and when at last they learn to fly 

 they are often widely separated and are to be seen resting upon 

 some fence rail or upon the bare ground. At this period the 

 parents can be seen teaching them to catch game for themselves, 

 the exercise consisting of dropping a ground squirrel or some 

 other animal and enticing the young to catch it before it reaches 

 the ground, the lesson being repeated until proficiency is at- 

 tained. After this they are instructed in field work, and soon 

 learn to hunt for themselves. 



I am not, however, of that school who beleive the young only 

 acquire proficiency through the parents teaching. It unques- 

 tionably helps, but I believe a young bird would still acquire 

 the instinctive habits of its progenitors, supposing them to be 

 separated, at a very early age. This seems to me particularly 

 borne out by the habits of the young when they first learn to 

 hunt for themselves, in making, as it were, a speciality in seeking 

 grouse. This they unquestionably do and from August till the 

 middle of September are one of the worst enemies our prairie 



