200 



THE OOLOGIST 



Messrs. Herbert Ragland and Walter 

 Leake each killed a Wild Turkey — a 

 male and female young of the year— 

 and the following day Mr. Richard 

 Harris also killed a male and a female 

 young of the year. I was told of five 

 other Wild Turkeys killed on the 1st 

 in this same territory. It was as- 

 tonishing to find the wary and much 

 sought bird so abundant almost with- 

 in the shadows of Richmond and only 

 half a day's distance from Washing- 

 ton, but it will be remembered that 

 Goochland County is sparsely settled 

 and heavily timbered Over a large 

 area. 



Mourning Doves were not so abund- 

 ant as I had expected to find them. A 

 flock of about 50 came into the Harris 

 cornfield before I left. 



In June, 1921 I saw but one member 

 of the Raptorial order in Goochland 

 County — the Turkey Vulture — and in 

 my former article I spoke deploringly 

 of the system of bounties maintained 

 by the county. No doubt these boun- 

 ties have greatly reduced the number 

 of Hawks and Owls in the county, but 

 I am pleased to say that the point of 

 extermination has not yet been 

 reached and let us hope that the au- 

 thorities will realize their folly before 

 it is too late. I am able to record 8 

 species of the Hawks and Owls ob- 

 served on this visit. Turkey Vultures 

 were quite abundant. I am very sure 

 one or more could have been soaring 

 in the air at any moment during the 

 hours of daylight on each day I was 

 there. Of the Marsh, Sharp-shinned, 

 and Cooper's Hawks, one individual of 

 each species was seen, while of the 

 Red-shouldered and Broad-winged 

 Hawks two of each were observed. 

 They were all very shy as would be 

 expected. Near the end of ray visit 1 

 heard both the Barred and Screech 

 Owls in the woods back of the house 

 and was told that the former is fairly 



numerous in that section and I am 

 sure that the latter must be also as 

 all the conditions favorable to its 

 necessities are there. 



The Woodpeckers were represented 

 by six species, among them the hand- 

 some, dashing Pileated, which was 

 fairly numerous. Often during each 

 day I hear their loud, resonant tap- 

 ping on the largest and tallest trees 

 in the woodlands. Here they are 

 called "Log-cocks." I have no doubt 

 that they could be found nesting in 

 these woods in the spring. Both the 

 Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers were 

 seen but only one of each. Red- 

 bellied Woodpeckers and Flickers 

 were in fair abundance and near the 

 end of my visit I saw one Yellow- 

 bellied Sapsucker. As I saw no Red- 

 headed Woodpeckers on the previous 

 visit and none on this, I must believe 

 that they are of rare occurrence in 

 this region, and this is strange for all 

 the conditions which would seem to be 

 requisite for their existence and 

 happiness are present. 



In the former article I spoke of 

 Swifts that inhabited the office chim- 

 ney near the house. They were there 

 again the past summer but had depart- 

 ed for the South before I reached East 

 Leake. Their nest had fallen down 

 to the hearth and had been preserved 

 by one of the Leake family who ex- 

 hibited it to me. It was unique in that 

 it was composed exclusively of dry 

 pine needles, glued together, of course, 

 by the birds' customary mucilaginous 

 saliva. Twigs of many species of 

 trees were available in close prox- 

 imity to the chimney but evidently 

 these Swifts had discovered that pine 

 needles make a very compact, sym- 

 metrical and artistic nest and have 

 advantage over the crooked and twist- 

 ed twigs usually employed. I think 

 they were quite clever in their choice 

 of nesting materials. 



