I90 



THE MUSEUM. 



57^ feet from the ground on an out- 

 spreading branch of a Burr-oak tree. 

 The nest was built thisspring, of coarse 

 Popular and Oak twigs and lined with 

 strips of bark and cornhusks, the lined 

 part measuring about ten inches across 

 and depressed about two inches. The 

 eggs were whitish with small specks of 

 dull brownish scattered over nearly the 

 whole surface. The Hawk could be 

 seen on the ne^t as I approached, but 

 flew away when I was several rods 

 from the nest, remaining away until I - 

 had climbed up to the neit, when she 

 flew highoveihead screaming a few 

 times. For some time both Hawks 

 sat near together on the same tree. 

 Both Hawks were very wary and kept 

 out of reach of the shotgun, which plan 

 was certainly very conductive to long- 

 evity. 



The following Saturday, May ist, I 

 went down into the Ellington woods. . 

 Passing by an old nest from which I 

 had taken three eggs of the Red-tail, 

 May 3, 1895, and three Great Horned 

 Owl's eggs, February 22, 1896, noth- 

 ing was visible but a pair of Swainson's 

 Hawks soaring and screaming over- 

 head. However I struck the tree with 

 my climbing irons and was somewhat 

 surprised to see a Hawk dash off, w-hosc 

 pale reddish tail and whitish under 

 parts showed it to belong to the variety 

 kridcrii. Climbing the fortj-eight 

 feet intervening between the ground 

 and the nest, I found it to contam 

 three quite heavily marked eggs. The 

 Hawks both soared high overhead 

 screaming, but were very war}', and 

 after waiting half an hour vainly hop- 

 ing to obtain a specimen, I left the 

 place, returning about six hours after- 

 ward. As I was crawling through a 

 barbed-wire fence about a rod from 

 the tree, the Hawk darted off the nest, 

 and as he soared away I fired both 

 barrels of the gun, and he sailed down 

 at an acute angle, being stone dead 

 when piclied up. This Hawk measur- 



The nest was lined with hempen 

 fibres, hair, etc., also a green Poplar 

 twig. 



On the same day I took another set 

 of their eggs from a nest 35 feet up in 

 a Black Oak tree. The nest was an 

 unusually large one, nearly three feet 

 across and two feet high, composed of 

 sticks and twigs of Oak and Poplar 

 (principally the latter; and lined with 

 bark and cornhusks and some green 

 Poplar sprigs. The hollow of the nest 

 was about five inches deep. The three 

 eggs were pale blush, nearly unmark- 

 ed and slightly incubated. The Hawk 

 left the nest as I came near, was soon 

 jiiined by herniate and they flew over- 

 head frequently uttering a shrill "scree- 

 ee." They would occasionally light 

 in trees, but I could not come near to 

 them. 



A peculiarity of this species is a 

 fondness for having green leafy twigs 

 in the nest (especially twigs of Cotton- 

 word and White Poplar), all nests 

 which I have e.xamined having one 

 or more green sprigs. These sprigs 

 mu?t be renewed alniost daily as they 

 ahiio.-t always appear fresh, withered 

 or dead leaves being rarely found in 

 the nest. This eccentricity seems also 

 to be shared by the Swainson's Hawk. 

 {Butco sicainsoni.) — Iowa Ornitholo- 

 gist. 



Printini, Half Price 



We will print Envelopes, Note Heads. Bill Heads, or 



Cards at 



SI per 1,000! 



ed: L. 22, W. 15^, T. 



91- 



The 



stomach was entirely empty. The 

 three eggs were slightly incubated. 



in lots ot not less than 1000 nf a kind. Just think of it; 

 f I per liiOO for iir.it class printing. Send your orders 

 to A. It EDUY. Albion. N. Y. (Printer ot Museum.) 



Florida Land and 

 Fresh Water Shells. 



Unios a Specialty. 



Sample Box of Land Shells sent by mail, post- 

 paid, on receipt of One Dollar. 



AdJress with stamp for Price List. 



O. BR"y^ANT, Longwood, Florida. 



