54 



THE OOLOGIST. 



plan had been made, but nothing hap- 

 pened l)efore sunset, when a single 

 hawk appeared on the scene, then an- 

 other, and another; a chattering began, 

 and the excitement increased as the 

 messengers kept returning in twos and 

 threes. 



The wounded bird seemed joyfully 

 expectant, while the others flew around 

 it joyfully. Soon a loud flapping was 

 heard overhead, a flock of hawks ap- 

 peared, and in their midst a giant hawk 

 much larger and stronger than any of 

 the rest. For a few moments it perch- 

 ed upon the topmost branches of the 

 tree, then started up and began circle- 

 ing about, coming lower and nearer to 

 its wounded brother, until, suddenly 

 swooping it raised the latter in its 

 claws and soared away with him tri- 

 umphantly. The other hawks follow- 

 ing leaving us overwhelmed with 

 astonisment. We did not doubt that 

 they were taking the hawk to some 

 place where he could rest until the 

 wound healed. 



Edw. p. Thokpston, 

 Hockessin, Del. 



American Goshawk in Illinois. 



In the August number of the OoLO- 

 GIST a writer gives an account of the 

 finding of what he calls the nest of an 

 American Goshawk. 



J had expected some of our collectors 

 would s})eak of it but as none of them 

 have I will. 



Now I have collected birds for at least 

 ten years and will say 1 never a saw an 

 American Goshawk yet in thisstate,nor 

 can I Hud among the reliable collectors I 

 know, three ofwhom collect on the Illi- 

 nois river, anyone who has found a nest 

 and few have even seen a hawk. 



Ridgeway in his "Catalogue of the 

 Birds of Illinois" says: "Winter visi- 

 tant; rare southward," yet the writer 

 in tlie OoLOGi.sT says it is "a 



kind often seen in these parts, but 

 so far as known seldom breeding hei-e." 

 This writer only saw the bird and like a 

 great many young collectors, at once 

 jumped to the conclusion he had a 

 great find, when what he did find was 

 probably a Cooper's Hawk, a bird I 

 know "is a kind often seen in these 

 parts." 



I wish young collectors could have 

 the need of careful identification more 

 thoroughly impressed on them. I 

 know several collectors (V) who have 

 no guide but Davie's Key and will hunt 

 in that uutil they find an egg nearly 

 like the one they have, and then have a 

 great find. 



Another thi.'jg I might as well kick 

 about while I am at it is incomplete 

 data. One with a set of Great Blue 

 Heron gives "Nest in a Black Oak tree 

 40 ft. up, "and no more — and the collect- 

 or is not a boy either. 



I don't suppose it is any use to rake 

 up the subject of large holes in egg8> 

 but some I get make me tired. 



A. C. M., Kewauee, Ills. 



The Yellow Palm Warbler. 

 Dendroica palmarum hyjiochrysea. 



This warbler is very common here 

 during the spring and fall migration 

 bat I had always supposed that it bred 

 north of this State. 



On June 1st a friend of mine found a 

 nest with 4 young of this warbler in a 

 nest on the ground in a bog between 

 Orono and Bangor. 



June 4th my friend and I started for 

 the bog in hopes of getting a set of 

 thier eggs. We had been there a short 

 time when we scared up a female and I 

 was delighted tolind a nest with 5 fresh 

 eggs. The female staid within a few 

 feet of us and tlie iudeutilication was 

 certain. 



Shortly afterward I found another 



