THE OOLOGIST 



visit to the canon must have been two 

 thirds grown when I heard them, from 

 the noise they made, and that was on 

 April 14th. 



The normal number of eggs of this 

 pair of birds would appear to be four. 

 I have taken 9 sets in all; four of four 

 eggs and five of three. But of those 

 five only one showed signs of incuba- 

 tion. In all probability a day or so of 

 delay in visiting the nests would have 

 meant another egg in four out of the 

 five sets. Tlie second set of 1909 liad 

 three only and was doubtless com- 

 plete. The set of three of 1903 con- 

 taining one advanced and two infertile 

 eggs was also doubtless complete. 



Five sets of the nine taken are now 

 in my collection. Seventeen eggs in 

 all. The average measurement of 

 them all is 2.09 by 1.66. The largest 

 egg being 2.14 by 1.70. The smallest 

 1.99 by 1.65. The five sets average 

 2.12 by 1.63 (3 eggs) 2.01 by 1.65 (3 

 eggs 2.10 by 1.64 (3 eggs) 2.11 by 1.67 

 (4 eggs) 2.10 by 1.69 (4 eggs). All 

 these eggs are pretty much of the 

 same shape, marking and ground 

 color, which is the dark form. 



Some, taken before they had been 

 incubated at all are of the beautiful 

 cherry shade that so soon fades in 

 the light and with incubation. The 

 latest taken eggs appear to be rather 

 lighter in shade than those taken 

 earlier, and to be of sliglitly different 

 shape, being more obtuse at the smal- 

 ler end. The greatest departure from 

 normal shape is in set No. 6 where 

 there is one egg which measures 2.17 

 by 1.64, tlie others being very close 

 to normal. 



C. S. Sharp, 

 Escondido, Cal. 



In the Haunts of the Duck Hawk 

 By S. S. Dickey, Washington, Pa. 

 Having heard much of the Duck 

 Hawk from naturalists who liave had 



a first hand knowledge of the species, 

 it lias for some time been my desire 

 to see the birds in their native haunts. 

 And, as witli all else in which the 

 mind of man loves to become ab- 

 sorbed, ornithology falls in line with 

 the maxim, "it's the unexpected that 

 happens." If such were not so I dare 

 say we who study the birds should 

 miss much of the joy in pursuit of 

 such pastime. 



During June of the present year I 

 spent a week-end in the mountains of 

 central Pennsylvania and stayed at 

 the home of an experienced hunter 

 who knows that part of the country 

 thoroughly. In talking with him con- 

 cerning the birds of the region I in- 

 quired if the raven had been seen in 

 his neighborhod, and he replied that 

 only a few years ago he had seen a 

 nest of this bird on a rocky craig two 

 miles across the mountain that lies 

 behind his house. 



The hunter gave me instructions as 

 to how I might reach the bluff and 

 his young son and I set off along the 

 path. The day was clear and warm 

 and birds sang all about us, — Parula 

 Warblers, Blackburians, Black-throat- 

 ed Greens, Black, and Wliites and 

 otliers, — but I could not linger long 

 with tliem, even though I had a desire 

 to do so. Soon we descended the far 

 side of the ridge and came to a narrow 

 road which lay at the base of the 

 mountain and extended beside the 

 rushing waters of the Juniata river. 



Here and there rocky cliffs and 

 lichen-covered crags jutted out froni 

 the dense foliage of tlie hemlocks and 

 occasional white-washed areas from 

 the droppings of some bird could be 

 distinctly seen in the distance. But 

 as we had not yet found a cliff high 

 enough to meet the descriptions of 

 the hunter we kept on down the road 

 until we emerged from the denser for- 

 est growth and entered a little clear- 



