96 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Nov. 



in charge of the remainder, and in that capacity resented in a 

 ferocious manner my handling of the rest. One of the parents 

 also made a half-hearted effort to frighten me by diving towards 

 me. It took good care, however, to remain well out of reach. 

 In the nest at the time were two gray gophers, one of them partly 

 eaten, showing in spite of five almost fully grown young that the 

 parents were able to keep the larder well supplied. I would like 

 to draw attention here to the habit these birds have of going far 

 afield for their hunting. In the case of nest No. 2 the nearest 

 gray gopher colony was fully two miles away, while to secure 

 them in numbers entailed a journey of fotir or five miles, and 

 there is reason to believe that the hawks went even further than 

 this. That they usually flew directly to their hunting grounds 

 was also evident froii the fact that in no instance were striped 

 gophers found in the nest, though those rodents were met with 

 more than once in its vicinity. While the hawks keep the nest 

 and its immediate surroundings free from refuse, I was, never- 

 theless, able to secure a few pellets, which, as is well known, all 

 birds of this kind disgorge. An examination of these revealed 

 much gopher hair, a few feet of those animals, and two feet of 

 a meadowlark, both in the same pellet, showing that they 

 doubtless belonged to one bird. 



As I left the nest its defender still stood erect on its edge 

 watching my every movement, like a sentry on duty, and thus 

 he remained until distance h"d him from my sight. 



On July 5th, a parent hawk which was flying very high, 

 suddenly made one of those dives for which the birds are re- 

 markable. In a moment it was among a brood of young turkeys, 

 and but for their remarkable instinct in hiding, and my presence 

 soon after, would have undoubtedly carried oft' one of them. As 

 it was, the hawk continued on its journey southward to the usual 

 hunting grounds. 



On July 1 7th I visited nest No. 1 for the last time. I found 

 it inhabited by four almost fully-fledged young. I had, in fact, 

 just taken a photograph, and was searching for pellets beneath 

 the nest, when the strongest bird flew out, but finding its weight 

 still too great for its wings, it came to earth rather suddenly 

 some 40 yards away, not, however, with sufficient force to be 

 injured, as was indicated by the vicious manner in which it met 

 me as I approached. Its onslaught was most determined, and 

 I was obliged to defend myself with a spade, which the hawk 

 struck repeatedly with its claws, but never with the beak. 

 When exhausted with its efforts at jumping, it threw itself upon 

 its back and struck out with both feet. Having finished my 

 observations I retired, the hawk actually making after ine, evi- 

 dently considering that I was being driven from the field. The 



