FALCONID JS — THE FALCONS. 229 



five efjgs, fi)und liy Dr. H. K. Storer in Concord, Mass., there was a single 

 egg which nearly corresponds witli this description. It is, however, the only 

 one among many specimens that at all agrees with it. This specimen is a 

 little more than usually elongate, and its ground-color, which is a puriilish- 

 white, is nearly concealed by its blotches of various shades of sepia-lirown. 

 In every other instance tlie egg is very nearly spherical, the ground-color 

 white, and beautifully marked with large conllucnt lilotches of sepia, vary- 

 ing in depth from ipiite a light to a very dark shade. In one, these conflu- 

 ent markings form a In-oad belt around the centre of the egg. In others, 

 they are chiefly distributed about the larger end. 'I'lie contrast between the 

 white ground and the dark confluent dashes of brown is very striking. 

 Except in size, the eggs of this bird bear a marked resendjlance to those of 

 the Sparrow Hawk of Europe. In a few instances, the l>rown markings 

 have an intermixture of reil and purple. The egg measures 1.35 by 1.15 

 inches. 



In nearly every instance the nest of this Hawk has been constructed iu 

 trees. It is usually lai-ge in proportion to the size of the bird, and its mate- 

 rials are somewhat elaborately put together ; it is composed chiefly of large 

 sticks and twigs, and the whole jilatform is covered with a thin lining of 

 dry leaves, mosses, grass, etc. ]\Ir. John Krider, of Philadelphia, found a 

 nest in Xew Jer.sey, in the vicinity of that city, wjiich was Imilt on the 

 edge of a high rock. 



Mr. Iiobert Kennicott met with the nest of this species at Fort Eesolu- 

 tion. It was composed entirely of small dry spruce twigs, with the excep- 

 tion of a half-dozen small flat bits of the scaly outer bark of the spruce, 

 laid in the bottom, and forming a sort of lining. No feathers or other softer 

 materials were used. Tlie nest was shallow and broad. The base was about 

 eighteen inches in diameter, and was about eight feet from the ground. It 

 was in a small spruce in a thick wood and on high ground. When dis- 

 turbed, tlie female flew oft' a short distance; but on Mr. Kennicott's hiding 

 himself returned and flew near the nest, continually uttering a harsh rapid 

 note. Near the nest were marks indicating the place where the male i:)assed 

 the nights perched on a dry stick near the ground. 



]\Ir. B. E. Iioss observed these birds nesting tliiekly along the cliffs of the 

 Upper Slave Elver. They were more rare northward of Fort Simpson than 

 F. coluvibarius. 



Mr. "William Street, of Easthampton, informs me that he has found this 

 Hawk nesting on Mount Tom, where he has known of six of their nests in 

 one .season. In the spring of 1872 he found three nests, on the 24th and 

 25th of May. They contained two eggs each. One of these, on the 27th 

 contained three eggs, of which he took one ; on the 3d of June two more 

 eggs had been laid, Two of these were taken, after wliich tlie birds deserted 

 the nest and resorted to an old S(iuirrers nest, wiiere they had four more 

 eggs, depositing one every third day. They arrive at Mount Tom about the 



