100 The Ottawa Naturalist. [November 



out another a few yards away. The nest looked old and shabby and 

 I held out little hope, but it's easy accessibility prompted inspection. 

 When on a level with the nest I was surprised to see a set of five eggs. 

 My friend evidently noted my amazement, but all he said was: "Come 

 down and let me have a look at them." About half an hour later we 

 were returning through the same bush and were successful in catching 

 the female slipping quietly off the empty nest. She was very shy and 

 disappeared, and had evidently left the nest when we first entered the 

 woods. The male was not seen. This bird is an early breeder, as the 

 eggs were about ten days incubated. 



On May 22, 1915, I moved cautiously through this woods, as I 

 .desired to observe this hawk on the nest. I noted the down of the 

 hawk clinging to the branches of trees and knew that the pair were 

 again in their old haunts. Twenty yards away I saw a new nest, the 

 rim of which was covered with down and feathers. Looking more 

 closely through the thick shrubbery I saw the hawk gliding furtively 

 off the nest. She disappeared amongst the dense growth without 

 making a sound. This nest was similar to the others, both as to height 

 and construction, and the five eggs were marked like the first set. I 

 remained in the locality for some time, but neither the male nor female 

 returned. 



' On May 23, 1916, I learned that the pair had changed their 

 quarters, but I decided to look for them in some familiar spruce woods 

 a mile off. In four hours I discovered a small nest about thirty-five 

 feet up in a black spruce at the extreme edge of the woods near a path. 

 After throwing several sticks into the tree a sharp-shinned hawk bolted 

 off and disappeared immediately into the woods and did not return 

 while I was around. The male, as usual, was conspicuous by being 

 absent. I had located the same pair once more, as the eggs are very 

 much like those taken in the other woods and the actions of the bird 

 were the same. The only departure was the size of the tree and the 

 height of the nest. 



It is strange, and at the same time interesting, that the male has 

 not been seen, and that the female has shown persistent lack in vocal 

 effort in the nesting season. 



-0d 



X, 





