THE OOLOGIST. 



95 



true facts regarding the Whip-poor-will. 

 The Nighthawk or Bullbat, which can 

 be seen iu summer evenings, a few 

 hours before sunset, skimming over the 

 green meadows, describing his semi- 

 circles and cutting his oblique lines 

 through the air, uttering all the while 

 his harsh note, accompanied by an 

 occasional "booming" is supposed by 

 many to be the sanio bird whose note 

 a little later is change to the Whip-poor- 

 will's song. There are others, less 

 enlightened, who are possessed with 

 the curious notion that at the first fall 

 of frost this mysterious bird of the 

 night is transformeil into a frog, and 

 thus spends the Avhole winter season in 

 entire seclusion, until called out again 

 by the fiist sound of thunder in early 

 spring, when he again asumes his form- 

 er shape, once more becoming a mes 

 senger of bad tidings. 



Laying begins in this latitude about 

 the middle of May. So far as I have 

 . observed^ both the Whip-poor-will and 

 Chuck-will's- widow, during the day, 

 remain near their nests or the spot to 

 be cho.sen for the nest. I have secured 

 eggs of both species by locating the 

 bird. This can be done by going about 

 sunset, to some locality where they 

 frequent, and remaining quiet until the 

 first note is heard, which is usually 

 preceeded by a low clucking sound, 

 then creep stealthily in the direction 

 from which the sound comes, so as to 

 get a clearer view of her position. II 

 the effort proves a failure or if there is 

 any doubt as to her exact position, it 

 would be best to try the experiment 

 another evening, until her position is 

 located with certainity. When this is 

 this is done mark the spot, anil return 

 next day, when it is likely the bird will 

 Ue Hushed, perhaps near the spot that 

 was marked, or, if setting, from the 

 nest. Now look can^fuUy in every 

 direction, near evei'y bush, beside every 

 log or stump, within lifteen or twenty 

 yards from the placi; marked. The 



eggs are very likely to be found if they 

 have been laid. They are placed on 

 the bare leaves, no pretentions, what- 

 ever, being made at nest building. 

 To follow the above directions, strictly, 

 will require a little trouble and some 

 patience, but remember the way of the 

 true oologist is hard. I hope some of the 

 readers will try this plan and report 

 through the columns of The Oologist. 

 M. C. White, 

 Mathews Co., Va. 



Nesting of the Red-tailed Hawk- 



{Butco bor talis) (Jmcl. 



The Red-tailed Hawk or Red-tailed 

 Buzzard as it is^ometimes called is dis- 

 tributed sparingly throughout this 

 section — Eastern Peuna. — and breeds, 

 though in some few localities it is con- 

 sidered quite common. Broad meadow 

 and pasture-lands bordered by heavy 

 woods afford this hawk his favorite 

 hunting ground. Wherever squuTels, 

 cTiipmuuks, ground-mice,, moles and 

 small rodents abound some species of 

 Hawk will invariably be found breeding 

 and also where crows nest abundantly 

 they are generally found for the crow 

 is in many instances the architect of 

 the hawk's nest. This species is the 

 largest of the common hawks, it may 

 be readily identified by the brownish- 

 red color on the under side of its tail. 

 The nest is placed in the largest trees 

 from 40 to 60 or in a few instances 80 

 feet from the ground, many of them 

 being practically inaccessible owing to 

 the size of the tree trunks. It varies in 

 size from that of a crows to a great 

 bulky ma.ss of sticks, grass, twigs, corn- 

 stalks and moss as large in diameter as 

 a l)uggy wluHil, though very large it is 

 comparatively shallow. The number of 

 eggs laid is two or three rarely four. 

 Tiu-y are bluish-white to a soiled white 

 in color heavily blotched and splashed 

 with red and chestnut with obscure 

 markings of purple on the larger end 



