EASTERN RED-TAILED HAWK 153 



that he has known a pair to use the same nest each season for four or 

 five years. Often they appropriate a nest previously used by another 

 hawk, owl, or crow or build on an old squirrel's nest. A. W. Brock- 

 way tells me that one of his nests was built on top of a gray squirrel's 

 nest in which he could hear the young squirrels chatter as he pressed 

 against the nest. For three seasons in succession J. A. Singley 

 (1886) found a nest occupied by great horned owls early in the season 

 and later by red-tailed hawks ; this was in Texas where the owls nest 

 early in the winter. If their first set of eggs is taken, the hawks 

 will lay a second set, three or four weeks later, but usually in an- 

 other nest; very rarely a third set may be laid; and Bendire (1892) 

 says "on very rare occasions even a fourth." 



Eggs. — In the eastern and southern portion of its range the red- 

 tailed hawk lays almost invariably two eggs; I have never found 

 three and twice have found incubated sets of one. In central and 

 western sections sets of three are commoner, sets of four are not rare, 

 and as many as five eggs have been found in a nest. The eggs are 

 ovate, elliptical-ovate, or oval in shape, and the shell is finely granu- 

 lated or smooth, without gloss. The ground color is usually dull or 

 dirty white, sometimes faintly bluish white, or more rarely pale 

 greenish white. The eggs average much less heavily marked than 

 red-shouldered hawks' eggs. They are often nearly or quite immacu- 

 late, but they are usually more or less sparingly spotted; some are 

 handsomely marked in even or irregular patterns, but very rarely 

 heavily blotched. The markings are in various shades of dull red- 

 dish or yellowish browns, "snuff brown" to "ochraceous-tawny", 

 more rarely "warm sepia", "auburn", or "russet"; some show under- 

 lying spots of "pale Quaker drab", or "pallid purple drab." A series 

 of eggs from one female usually runs true to type, as to shape, color, 

 and markings; and when a new female replaces her, a different type 

 of eggs often results. The measurements of 59 eggs average 59 by 47 

 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 66 by 50, 

 64.5 by 51, 55 by 45.5, and 59.5 by 44 millimeters. 



Young. — Incubation lasts for about 28 days; the male assists the 

 female somewhat in this, brings food to her while she is incubating, 

 and helps to feed the young. I have seen the male bring food to the 

 nest, and his mate feed it to the young. The incubating bird is 

 watchful and very shy; it is almost impossible to approach within 

 100 yards of the nest without flushing her, if she is watching. One 

 of my nests was fully that distance from a rocky ledge, from behind 

 which I often attempted to watch the nest; almost invariably, as 

 soon as I showed my head above the crest of the ledge, if I could 

 see her head on the nest, she would immediately stand up in the nest 

 and fly away; and she would not return until after I left the woods. 



83561—37 11 



