140 BULLETIN 16 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



But birds that are typical of the eastern race have been taken fre- 

 quently in this region. It may be only a dark color phase. Its 

 habits are evidently similar to those of the eastern bird. Major 

 Bendire (1892) writes: 



According to my observations, the general habits of the Western Goshawk 

 are very similar to those of its eastern relative; it is equally destructive to 

 small game of all kinds, particularly the Sooty, Ruffed, and Sharp-tailed Grouse, 

 as well as to the fowls of the poultry yard. While nowhere abundant, it seems 

 to be pretty generally distributed throughout the Blue Mountain region of 

 Oregon and Washington, and breeds in suitable localities where food is plenty. 

 During spring and summer it is seldom seen in the more open districts, though 

 it is abundant enough later on, when the heavy suows drive the game into 

 the foothills and lower valleys. I have shot quite a number of these birds at 

 various times, and all, as far as I am aware, are referalile to this subspecies, 

 with one exception, which is intermediate between it and the preceding. 



Nesting. — He records the finding of several nests, as follows : 



My first acquaintance with the Goshawk dates back to 1870, and on April 21, 

 1871, while hunting in Lawyer's Caiion, 30 miles south of Fort Lapwai, Idaho, 

 I found a nest of this subspecies containing a single egg. It was placed in the 

 forks of a large cottonwood tree about 50 feet from the ground, and was a 

 bulky affair, fully 2 feet in diameter and quite as deep. The nest was com- 

 posed of sticks, some of them quite large and loosely put together. It w'as 

 rather shallow on top and lined with weed stalks, a species of wild nettle, and 

 a few pine needles. * * * 



A nest found on April 18, 1876, was placed in the top of a tall and bushy 

 juniper tree, only about 20 feet from the ground. It was not as large as the 

 two former, and looked as if it had been newly built. It was situated in the 

 fork of the main trunk and was well hidden. The female was on the nest and 

 commenced screaming before we came within 20 feet of the tree, which caused 

 the discovery. She defended her eggs valiantly, and did not cease her attacks 

 on the climber till he finally succeeded in hitting her with a club, \\'liieh 

 caused her to leave. The male was not seen. The nest contained three slightly 

 incubated eggs, and was sparingly lined with the dry inner bark of the juniper 

 trees growing in the vicinity. On April 9, 1877, I found another nest not far 

 from where the first was taken in 1875. This was built in a tall pine, at least 

 50 feet from the ground, and in addition to the usual juniper bark lining it 

 contained a few green fir tops. This also contained three eggs, and incubation 

 had already commenced. I shot the female, a handsome bird in the adult 

 plumage, while it was circling about the climber and trying to strike him. 

 The largest set obtained was one of five eggs. The nest was placed in a bushy 

 pine in a canon of the Blue Mountains, close to the road from the Umatilla 

 Indian Agency to Grande Ronde Valley, Oregon. This nest, evidently used for 

 years, was well out on one of the larger limbs and placed in a fork of it. It 

 was quite large, and slightly lined with grass, tree moss "usnea," and a few 

 scales of pine bark; distance from the ground about 50 feet. Both parents 

 were present, and the female was shot, as she was too aggressive for the com- 

 fort of the climber. The male was also rather demonstrative, but not to the 

 extent of his mate. The eggs were nearly hatched when found, April 17, 1881. 

 All the cavities of the nests were very shallow, none being over lV-2 inches deep. 

 While none of the nesting sites were in the denser portions of the forests, they 

 were all found in the heavy timber, and generally on the slopes of canons 

 not far from water. 



