20 



THE MUSEUM. 



the eye. Possibly sound was a factor 

 in the astonishingly accurate alignment 

 of the insect's work. We cannot sup- 

 pose the insecct to have command of 

 any visual powers akin to the marvel- 

 ous effects of the Roentgen rays. 



Try, without making any measure- 

 ments, to pierce a two inch cube of 

 wood from opposite sides having the 

 perforations accurately meet in the 

 center: can yon do it.? Man of the 

 stone age generally failed. The per- 

 forations in his numerous tablets, gor- 

 gets, and other objects were made by 

 drilling from both sides; and they gen- 

 erally come awry. Here is a gorget 

 broken at the perforation. It shows 

 holes nearly one-fourth of an inch out 

 of line, the mass perforated being but 

 one and a half inches thick. 



Who, unaided with tools, is the bet- 

 ter arti;?an. Homo sapiens or Monsieur 

 Vespa the master-builder? 



Glenville, N. Y. , ist Dec. 1896. 



A Few Points Regardine the Nidi- 



fication of the Red Tail Hawk 



in Southern Texas. 



The Red Tail Hawk is far too well 

 known to every American ornitholo- 

 gist for me to attempt to impose upon 

 the readers of the Museum, a paper 

 concerning anything save their habits 

 of nidificatioH. For that very suffi- 

 cient reason I shall confine myself 

 strictly to the discussion of those hab- 

 its. I will say, however, that this 

 species of our Raptores is well repre- 

 sented in Southern Texas, excelling in 

 point of numbers, any species that 

 came under my observation during my 

 stay of seven months in that vicinity. 



The following are notes condensed 

 from my observations of 1896 only. 



March 2, 1896. Two fresh eggs. 

 Nest composed of sticks and weeds. 

 Well made and compact. Twenty- 

 five feet from ground in hackberry 

 tree in Rattlesnake motte, San Pat- 

 ricio Co. Bird on nest. A small 

 garter snake was lying dead in the 

 bottom of the nest. 



March 5, 1896. Three fresh eggs. 

 Bird on nest. Nest composed of 

 sticks and lined with moFs. Situated 

 twenty feet from ground in oak tree in 

 belt of oaks bordering prairie. 



March 5, 1896. Two eggs in which 

 incubation had begun. Nest compos- 

 ed of sticks with lining of moss. Sit- 

 uated thirty feet from ground in crotch 

 of black jack in grove. 



March 5, 1896. Two eggs in which 

 incubation had started. Bird on nest. 

 Nest of sticks in oak tree thirty feet 

 from the ground. 



March 7, 1896. Two eggs in which 

 I found incubation to be three-fourths 

 ad\'anced. Bird on nest. Composed 

 of sticks lined with feathers and moss. 

 A large structure. Nest contained a 

 snake from which the head had been 

 eaten, but was yet alive. The tree 

 was situated in a small motte. 



March 7, 1896. Three eggs, incu- 

 basion one-third. Bird on nest. Com- 

 posed of sticks, lined with moss and 

 feathers. Situated twenty feet from 

 ground in medium sized tree. 



March 7, 1896. Three eggs, incu- 

 bation begun. Bird on nest. Com- 

 posed of sticks and lined with moss 

 and feathers. Situated twenty feet 

 from ground in oak tree. 



March 15, 1896. Three eggs, one- 

 fourth advanced in incubation. Com- 

 posed of sticks and lin°d with moss. 

 Situated in black jack tree twelve feet 

 from ground, near a ravine. 



March 20, 1896. One egg, incuba- 

 tion one-fourth. The nest was situat- 

 ed ten feet up in a small tree. I think 

 it probable that the nest had been dis- 

 turbed before I found it. 



March 20, 1 896. One rotten egg. 

 This egg was under the bottom of the 

 nest which was a very compact struct- 

 ure. Suppose the nest was confiscat- 

 ed while the egg was in it, as the in- 

 terior was well finished but not con- 

 taining eggs. 



March 24, 1896. Three eggs in 

 which incubation had begun. Bird on 

 nest. Composed of sticks, grass and 

 weeds. Situated sixteen feet from 



