NORTHERN RED-SHOULDERED HAWK 189 



moved over to the other side of the nest, facing out, with its crop 

 much distended. She continued feeding the others until the second 

 and finally the third turned away satisfied. When all their crops 

 were stuffed full, she stood on the nest watching them for a few min- 

 utes and then flew to a nearby tree. The feeding process required 

 about 20 minutes. Evidently they are fully fed, with all they can 

 hold, at very infrequent intervals, for often I have watched a nest 

 for an hour or two without any results. 



For the first week or so the small downy young are quite inactive, 

 lying quietly in the nest, but when about 10 days old they begin to 

 sit up and move around. As the eggs are laid at intervals of two or 

 three days, and as incubation usually begins before the set is com- 

 plete, there is generally quite a difference in the sizes of the young. 

 When about two weeks old the plumage begins to appear and the 

 young from that time on become more and more active. My young 

 friend Robert W. Harding watched a nest of young hawks one day 

 from 10.10 a. m. until 12.30 p. m. and recorded happenings for me; 

 they were never still for 10 minutes and generally not for more than 

 one or two; they were constantly standing up, lying down, flapping 

 wings, preening their budding plum.age, frequently screaming, and 

 occasionally squirting their excrement far over the edge of the nest ; 

 the ground and bushes under the tree looked as if sprinkled with 

 whitewash ; twice, at intervals of about an hour, one of the old birds 

 brought in food, once a frog and once a small snake. When about 

 five or six weeks old the young are nearly fully fledged and ready 

 to leave the nest. They begin by climbing out on the branches and, 

 perhaps, returning to the nest at night. But they soon learn to 

 flutter down to the ground or flap awkwardly through the woods. 

 Tliey are guarded and fed by their parents for some time after they 

 leave the nest, until they learn to shift for themselves. That the 

 nestlings are well fed is shown by the following full meal found in 

 the crop and stomach of a young hawk taken by F. Seymour Hersey 

 (1923) : "A garter snake fifteen inches long; the head and about 

 four inches of another snake of similar size; both hind legs of two 

 frogs of good size; several small pieces of flesh probably of these 

 frogs; a small turtle about the size of a silver dollar; three legs and 

 the bill of Ruffed Grouse chicks; a large quantity of mouse hair 

 mixed with green leaves." 



Only one brood is raised in a season, but, if the first set of eggs is 

 taken, a second set will be laid, usually in another nest, about three 

 or four weeks later. Occasionally, if necessary, a third attempt is 

 made. 



Lewis O. Shelley sends me the following note on two young red- 

 shouldered hawks that were taken from the nest when about three 



