THE OOLOOIST. 



169 



sand spit about one mile long consist- 

 ing of sand dunes and gravel mounds 

 with the Ocean and False Bay marsh 

 on either side. 



Collected only one set, 1-3, fresh. 

 Xest on little mound of sand, depres- 

 sion one inch; diameter three inches, 

 lined with bits of shell and dried sea- 

 weed. A little too early. 



]May 2, 1909, collected a small series 

 of Snowy Plover eggs as follows: 2-3; 

 nest a small depression in sand lined 

 with bits of shell; fresh eggs. 



3-3, nest on gravel pile, lined with 

 shell and dried fish bones; fresh eggs. 



4-3, nest on mound of sand, lined 

 with bits of shell; eggs fresh. 



5-3; nest in sand about fifty feet 

 above high water mark; lined with 

 shell and bones. 



6-3; nest amongst gravel and drift- 

 woiod; lined with bits of shell and 

 fish bones. 



7-3; nest depression in sand; lined 

 with bits of shell and seaweed. 



When nearing a nest, the parent 

 birds fly around your head uttering 

 sharp cries of alarm, but when the 

 nest is discovered, the birds use dif- 

 ferent tactics, generally approaching 

 to within twenty-five or thirty feet of 

 the nest, carrying a small piece of 

 shell or seaweed in their beak; but at 

 your least movement, running away; 

 perhaps trying to lead you a merry 

 chase across the sand in a vain effort 

 to catch them. And on turning back, 

 the chances are you won't again find 

 the nest, as the eggs closely resemble 

 the stones and seaweed in which the 

 nest is made. It is very interesting to 

 watch a Hock of these birds feeding 

 on sand crabs on the beaches. As each 

 wave recedes, they follow closely in 

 its wake picking up crabs; and as an- 

 other wave breaks and sweeps up, they 

 run back, their little feet fairly hum- 

 ming; yet always keeping together in 

 a perfect squad, perhai)S thirty birds 



not taking up a larger area than five 

 feet square. 



In flying they form a mass dipping 

 and turning, each bird keeping in per- 

 fect rhythm with its neighbor, as well 

 drilled as the best regiment. 



Charles S. Moore. 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



Nesting Dates for 1909. 



334 AMERICAN GOSHAWK— April 

 2d, three eggs; nest sixty feet up in 

 white pine. April 20th, female began 

 bitting on second set, which was after- 

 wards destroyed by a crow or squirrel. 

 May 2d, female began sitting on third 

 set in a nest seventy feet up in an oak. 

 Young (two) taken .July 2d and sent 

 to T. H. Jackson at West Chester. At 

 present, they are in the New York 

 Zoo. All three nests were large, old 

 nests fixed over. 



333 COOPER'S HAWK— May 16th, 

 five eggs. 



332 SHARP SHINNED HAWK— 

 May 30th, five eggs. 



339. RED SHOULDERED HAWK— 

 Found first nests containing three and 

 four eggs each, on April 13th and 

 found a female sitting on two fresh 

 eggs as late as May 15th. Saw young 

 out of the nest by .June 15th. 



373 SCREECH OWL— April 2d, five 



eggs. 



368 BARRED OWL— April 13th. 



375 GREAT HORNED OWL— May 

 2d, large young; nearly ready to leave 

 nest. 



388 BLACK BILLED CUCKOO— 

 .June 13th, four eggs. 



405a NORTHERN PILE AT ED 

 WOODPECKER— May 16th; four eggs. 

 Forty-three feet up in large oak stub. 



409 YELLOW BELLIER WOOD- 

 PECKER — May 1st, Female sitting but 

 owing to size and condition of stub, 

 it was impossible to see contents of 

 nest. 



