126 BULLETIN 17 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



very slow flight out from the nest tree just preceding a final mating 

 union." 



Nesting. — During the winter we spent in Pinellas County, sparrow 

 hawks were always very common. In driving to and from our resi- 

 dence on Long Key, we used to amuse ourselves by counting the spar- 

 row hawks sitting on the telephone poles; we could always depend on 

 seeing 6 to 12 in the short drive of 5 miles. We hoped to find them 

 breeding on the island but were disappointed, for they all disappeared 

 before April. We concluded that these were all northern birds, only 

 wintering there. We had not shot any of them. 



But we referred to the resident race the birds we found breeding in 

 central Florida, Hernando and Pasco Counties, on April 19, 1925. 

 Here, and in other similar places, we found the little sparrow hawk 

 common. While driving along the roads we passed several places 

 where the flat pinewoods had been burned over, leaving a number 

 of tall, dead, partially burned stubs. Many of these stubs contained 

 holes made by flickers or red-headed woodpeckers, both of which were 

 fairly common. At three of these places we saw sparrow hawks, 

 sitting on the stubs or flying about, so we stopped to hunt for their 

 nests. My companion, Oscar E. Baynard, made some unsuccessful 

 climbs but eventually found three nests. The nests were 20 to 30 

 feet from the ground in old woodpecker holes, one of which had been 

 broken out. They all held four eggs each; one set was heavily incu- 

 bated, one advanced somewhat, and one was fresh. Once we saw 

 the bird perched on the nesting stub ; in another case we saw the bird 

 fly into the hole; and in the third case, when Mr. Baynard climbed 

 the stub, a flying-squirrel ran out of the hole, and he found two of 

 the four eggs broken (pi. 20). 



In another similar burned-over tract in Polk County on April 26, 

 1925, we found a sparrow hawk's nest containing young and three 

 nests of young Florida screech owls, all in old woodpecker holes. 



Donald J. Nicholson writes to me: "This bird begins to deposit its 

 eggs in March, at least from Orange County southward, but the 

 principal time is between April 1 and 15. Occasionally the bird will 

 raise two broods in a season. My reason for such belief is the fact 

 that I found in one day two nests with eggs in mid-June, and several 

 days later found another nest with eggs. These nests were in places 

 where sets are found in April, and none of the nests had been previ- 

 ously disturbed that season. It would seem quite unusual to find this 

 number of very late layings during a normally warm spring." 



Eggs. — Mr. Nicholson says that the "sets range from three to five 

 eggs, with four the most common number found. I have no records 

 of more than five eggs." There is a set of six eggs in Griffing Ban- 

 croft's collection. The eggs are similar to those of the species else- 

 where, except that they average smaller. The measurements of 45 



