THE OOLOGIST 



101 



tion commenced, was taken March 24, 

 1890, and a second set of tive in which 

 incubation was advanced was collected- 

 April 25, 1890. Ou visiting the nest a 

 few weeks later Mr. IngersoU found it 

 occupied by a Long-eared Owl. The 

 Kites were constructing a new nest in 

 the top of a vine-covered willow but 

 this nest also was appropriated by a 

 Long-eared Owl and the Kites perse- 

 veringly began another nest but desert- 

 ed it before completion owing to the 

 place being turned into a picnic ground. 

 From this it would seem that the birds 

 intended laying a third time. 



April 13th of this year I was success- 

 ful in locating a third pair of Kites in a 

 new locality. After a long search an 

 old nest was found and almost immedi- 

 ately after a Kite appeared near by. A 

 search of the next tree revealed a nest 

 among the dense foliage in the top, and 

 after a climb of 3o feet the nest reveal- 

 ed a set of four egss in which incuba- 

 tion was about two -thirds advanced 

 with the exception of one egg which 

 was infertile. This latter egg was of a 

 dirty white color unmarked, while the 

 other three were evenly marked. Both 

 birds remained at a distance and made 

 no resistance. The nest was smaller 

 than the average being 10 inches across 

 and lined with dry stubble and Spanish 

 moss with which were mixed a few 

 feathers from the parent bird. This 

 set of eggs is smaller and decidedly 

 more round than any I have seen. They 

 offer the following measurements: l.GGx 

 1.29. 1.64x1.25. 1.71x1.30 and 1.60x1.31. 

 On May 5th I visited this nest again 

 but it had not been used a second time 

 and the birds were not to be seen. I 

 have never found the Kite nesting in 

 any but live oaks though they occasion- 

 ally build in white oaks, sycamores and 

 willows while Mr. Carriger records a 

 nest placed in the t'>pnaost branch of 

 a laurel tree where grapevines inter- 

 twined. ^, „ 



C. Baki.ow. 



Santa Clara, Calif. 



Hawk Notes From California- 

 Early one morning in the Spring of 

 1892 I boarded the train for a station in 

 this county where I had heard there 

 were nests of the Western Red-tail. 



A more pleasant morning could not 

 have been asked for. As the ti'ain 

 whirled along, past orchards laden with 

 clusters of fruit and the perfume of 

 blossoms, I thought of other trips I had 

 taken, and saw no reason why this 

 should not be as successful. 



Leaving the station I walked to a ra- 

 vine and found one of the nests that 

 had been described. It was on a slen- 

 der limb near the top of a tall sycamore 

 and was evidently a last year's nest 

 which had not been repaired. I was 

 not surprised at this as a man was 

 plowing in his young orchard almost 

 underneath the ti-ee. Striking off into 

 a side ravine and walking about a mile 

 I came to another nest which appeared 

 to be occupied. A Sharp-shinnetl Hawk 

 dashed up frightening the Blackbirds 

 and House Finches from the tree and 

 pearched in a wild walnut tree near by. 

 Taking my rope I drew it over a limb 

 with a string as a Desert SparrovvHavvk 

 flew out of one of the hollows, then driv- 

 ing some spikes into the trunk I climbed 

 up about 30 feet, when in some way my 

 foot slipped and not having a strong 

 hold on the rope I started to slide down. 

 Once started there was no stopping and 

 I reached the ground with my clothes 

 torn and a large part of the skin oft' my 

 hands. If it had not been for the rope 

 I should have fallen backwards on a 

 stump at the foot of the tree and not be 

 writing now. As it was I was too 

 weak to .stand up and had to lie down 

 on the ground for some time, I then 

 tried again ImiI did not have enough 

 strength left tf) reach the nest. Pinning 

 my torn clothes as best I could I walk- 

 ed to the station and took the first train 

 back. 

 On telling my friend H. about my 



