1916] The Ottawa Naturalist. 97 



thicker and grooved to bifid, left anterior more curved (in plane), not 

 much bent upward, posterior long, nearly straight and a little oblique: 

 lamina?; right anterior inner rather long, its cusp nearer the cardinal; 

 outer short; posterior both short; left: both with the cusps rather 

 abrupt,. pointed; ligament short, resilium rather stout. 



Measurements. (Specimen from Ontario) Long. 2.5; alt. 2.1; 

 diam. 1.5 mm. (100 : 84 : 60). (Specimen from Massachusetts) 

 Long. 3; alt. 2.5; diam. 2.1 mm. (100 : 83 : 70). 



P. vexam is somewhat like P. inornatum in size and shape, but 

 more inflated; the shell and hinge are slighter, and the depressed 

 beaks distinguish it. 



Habitat. Lake Gorman, Renfrew County, Ontario, collected by 

 Justice Latchford, August 29, 1913. Types are in Justice Latchford's 

 collection and in the Carnegie Museum, No. 7455. One specimen, 

 somewhat larger, was collected in Hounds Ditch, Duxbury, Massa- 

 chusetts, by Mr. William F. Clapp in 1913. 



F. R. L. 



THE SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 

 By W. J. Brown, Westmount, Que. 



Acquaintanceship with the Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter 

 velox) occurred twelve years ago, in April, in second growth woods. 

 Here we discovered a specimen, under a cedar tree, devouring a small 

 bird. A friend in parting the branches was rather surprised and 

 startled. Sudden impulse, and visions of a Woodcock's nest, prompted 

 further investigation, but the bird was equally alarmed and left the 

 brush spasmodically. Previous to this, and for some time afterwords, 

 I had entertained confused and mixed ideas as to the status and 

 habits of this species. On May 24, 1908, I noticed a male flying in a 

 jerky fashion through a small area of tamarack woods. At that time 

 it did not occur to me to look for the nest, but the following year I 

 investigated this locality with a friend and we found the nest, with 

 five eggs, in a small tamarack. After watching the actions of the 

 female about the nest I decided at once to learn more about these 

 interesting birds. During the next two weeks I came in contact with 

 two more nests, one in a black spruce and the other in a balsam, all 

 three sets, of five eggs each, varying greatly in size and coloration. 



At this period of my investigations I looked upon the Sharp- 

 shinned Hawk as rare in the Province of Quebec. Subsequent re- 

 search, however, has developed the fact that the bird is one of our most 

 abundant raptores and is much more common that was formerly 

 supposed. Any zealous ornithologist could probably locate two dozen 

 nests in a season, but it is by no means an easy task to cultivate the 



