(31) 



nesting' in some grove or on some creek not far from a farm house. Its 

 food consists mainly of chickens, mice, gophers, young squirrels, and oth- 

 er rodents, while once I caught one in the very act of eating a quail which 

 it had captured from a flock hiding under a vine-covered tree, the marks of 

 the strug'g'le showing' plainly on the light snow, fallen the night before. 

 The nesting dates run from the 26th of April to the 17th of May, for fresh 

 eggs of first sets. Second and even third sets will be deposited in case the 

 first and second are taken. The nests are almost invariably placed in a 

 thick bunch of trees and from fifteen to forty feet from the ground, and are 

 generallj^ about the size of a Crow's nest, but are constructed entirely of 

 small twigs, with a nearly flat top and a scanty lining of bark or leaves. 

 The number of eggs to the set varies from three to five, generally four. 

 The coloration is generally a buffy-white background, though often with a 

 bluish tinge, with scanty markings of light chestnut and lilac. Rarely a 

 set will be found with one or more of the eggs beautifully marked. 



But of all our hawks, the most interesting to me is the Red-tailed 

 Hawk {Biiico borealis). It is the largest of our species, and in its habits 

 much resembles its larger relative the eagle, as perched on the top of some 

 scarred old giant of the forest it watches in haughty silence for its luckless 

 quarry, or soaring overhead, its eye sweeps the ground in search of 

 food; or when, seeking to protect its nest from the plundering oologist, it 

 rushes savagel3' at the unwonted shape ascending the tree, while its hoarse 

 screams echo over the treetops. It frequents more than any other place 

 the wooded bluffs overlooking the river, and often its nest is built in the 

 tallest and most conspicuous tree on the side of such a bluff, facing the river, 

 as if it loved the grandeur of the scene and wished to instill into its off- 

 spring the same spirit. More often, though, the nest will be found just ov- 

 er the ridge from its ej-rie, or in some giant Cottonwood growing out of a 

 cleft in the hills. Whatever the situation, however, it is always placed above 

 the tops of the surrounding trees, and thus is easy to find; for, if 

 one is certain that it is in the vicinity, all he needs to do is to select the 

 highest point of view and carefully scan the surrounding country with a 

 field glass until he sees it. This hawk generall}' stays the year round in 

 the same locality, and if not disturbed too often, will build its nest year af- 

 ter 3-ear in the same tree, by either adding to the old structure, or construct- 

 ing a new one, while if disturbed, merely choosing the nearest suitable tree. 

 The nest in some cases, thus becoming a huge affair, is easily seen from a 

 distance. It is alwaj's a large, compact, well-made structure. I can recall 

 no instance of the finding of the eggs of a Red-tailed Hawk in a flimsy or 

 poorly-made nest. 



The nesting nearly always begins in the latter part of March and fresh 

 eggs may generally be found from March 25th to April 10th. The number 

 of eggs runs from two to four, averaging three. I ni3'self have never found 

 a larger set than three, but saw a set of four collected \iy another part^-. 

 If the first set is taken a second set will nearly' alwaj's be deposited, some- 

 times in the same nest, but more often in a new nest not far from the first. 

 Second sets almost invariably contain two eggs; I know of but one case 

 where three were laid. The eggs are bufi^y white, or with a bluish tinge. 



