THIRD ANNUAL MEETING 79 



re-echoed and distorted bj^ the cliffs and fog. Finally they were located 

 as proceeding from a ledge about twenty feet from the base of the 

 cliff, and by climbing a pine growing near I could look down into a 

 great nest of sticks, containing three large young hawks still in the 

 down. A moment later with a rush of wings the owner of the nest, 

 in the form of a magnificent Krider's hawk, alighted on the ledge, but 

 detecting my presence almost instantly, she sailed away, returning to 

 circle screaming overhead until I had left the vicinity. A few days later, 

 by the help of a pine, cut for the purpose, I succeeded in reaching the 

 ledge about fifteen feet to one side of the nest. To reach the nest, 

 however, was another problem, but with painfully slow progress 1 

 craw^led along under the overhanging rock, with three pairs of round 

 black eyes staring wonderingly at me from the nest. 



The site had evidently been used by the birds for several successive 

 years, for the pile of sticks composing the nest was at least one and 

 one-half feet in thickness and three feet in diameter, occupying a 

 pocket on the ledge. Fragments of skulls, vertebr;©, and feet of various 

 rodents lay scattered about, together with the vertebrae of a large 

 snake and some fragments of a recently killed prairie-dog. Later when 

 I attempted to secure a photo of nest and young at close range, one 

 of the birds had disappeared leaving but two, but the photo, owing to 

 the difficulty in taking it, did not prove to be a success. Something of 

 the difficulty can be imagined when it is understood that I was com- 

 pelled to crouch upon my knees and attempt to steady the camera 

 while it hung suspended from a nail driven into the soft overhanging 

 rock. On this trip I shot the male, the skin being among the others 

 from the summer's trip. About a month later a second nest, situated 

 in nearly the same kind of a place, was found in another canon to the 

 west of Warbonnet. I was unable to look into this but could hear the 

 cries of the young. Another pair of birds was earlier seen in Monroe 

 Canon but no nest was located. 



Praikie Falcon (FaJco mexicarms). — Until May 26, 1901, there had been 

 no definite record of the breeding of this falcon within our state 

 boundaries, but upon that date a nest was found and later another. 

 Prof. Bruner, Mr. Cary, and myself on our way to Sioux County took 

 advantage of an enforced stop at Crawford, to rummage about among 

 the buttes about two miles west of town. Here our attention was 

 attracted by a prairie falcon which kept circling about a particular 

 butte known as Saddle-back, on account of its peculiar shape. We 

 started around this and when we arrived at the west side a second 

 bird suddenly made its appearance, ajiparently from the face of the 

 cliff above us. and joined its circling- mate. At once we suspected the 

 presence of a nest upon some ledge invisible to us from below and 

 started around to the north side where an ascent of the butte w^as 

 possible. I reached the top first and after a moment's search located 

 the nest in a kind of pocket in the cliff about twelve feet below the 



